Luna's Year
by michelle-31a
Summary: Harry and his friends gradually discover a growing friendship with a certain
1. Default Chapter

arry was rushing to get to his morning Charms lesson, Ron and Hermione following close behind. As they scurried down the long, high-arched hallway, the door to Professor Flitwick's classroom opened up and the previous class of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs began to emerge. Through the flurry of students squeezing through the doorway Harry saw the familiar figure of Luna Lovegood, her waist-length dirty blonde hair a dead giveaway even at this distance.  
  
As she waltzed into the hall, she noticed Harry's group approaching, smiling dreamily and giving them a wave of her hand before turning to go off in the opposite direction. Harry waved back, thoughts of their last encounter the previous year still fresh in his mind. Indeed, he'd thought about what she'd told him all summer long, and had hoped to catch her alone on the Hogwarts Express to find out more. The presence of Ginny and Neville, however, had precluded him discussing the subject.  
  
She hadn't gotten more than a few feet down the hall when Malfoy, coming up the hall from the opposite end, ran up to her blocked her path. Crabbe and Goyle quickly caught up and flanked Malfoy. All three looked rather irate; but then, that was nothing new.  
  
"Think you're pretty smart, don't you Loonybin?" said Malfoy hotly. Harry and the others quickly approached the scene, their tempers rising at the sight of the three Slytherins practically surrounding Luna. "Don't think I don't know what you did last year! And if you think you're gonna get away with helping Potter's gang put my father in Azkaban I have news for you," he sneered menacingly, "you're gonna get yours soon enough, just you wait, you freak!"  
  
Harry was steaming; the other Ravenclaws weren't even looking back as they walked by the confrontation and down the hall. He slowly reached into his robes for his wand, glancing to his right to see Ron looking back at him, giving him a tiny nod to show he grasped Harry's intentions and would back him up. But then, Ron never needed much prodding to have a go at Malfoy, Harry knew. Hermione, on the other hand, scowled at them both. She drew herself up to her full height, straightened her prefect's badge and marched forward to intervene.  
  
But before anyone else could say anything, Luna, who had been staring dreamily at a portrait of Almerick Sawbridge on the wall just behind Malfoy's shoulder, seemed to wake from her reverie. She focused her large silvery eyes on the Slytherin with a look of surprise.  
  
"Oh, hello," she said vaguely.  
  
"Hello?!?" Malfoy sputtered, his anger mixed with disbelief. "Didn't you hear a word I just said?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Luna serenely. "Sometimes my mind wanders, I really shouldn't do that when people are speaking to me." She drew herself straight, held her books across her chest with both arms and stared intently at him. "All right, I'm listening now."  
  
"I - " Malfoy began, as Harry and his friends exchanged amused glances. "I was saying - "  
  
Malfoy gaped at her, evidently incredulous that his threats had seemingly no effect whatsoever. He was now stammering, obviously feeling foolish at having to repeat himself.  
  
As Malfoy stammered on, Luna suddenly tilted her head and gazed at him with a very serious look on her face. "Are you all right? You sound rather odd, you know."  
  
"Me?!" exclaimed Malfoy, "You're the one - I can't believe this!"  
  
"Did you know that there was a sighting of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack near Surrey just a few weeks ago?" said Luna conversationally. "Daddy said the man had a muggle camera with him. He's going to go see him this week; wouldn't it be wonderful if he came back with an exclusive picture?"  
  
Malfoy gaped at her, mouth open. Hermione put her hand over her mouth to keep from giggling openly, while Ron was bent over double with an arm around his midsection, trying desperately to keep from laughing out loud.  
  
Crabbe and Goyle were looking at each other with dull, uncomprehending gazes. They looked even more idiotic than usual, which, given their usual countenances, was significant. Malfoy put both hands on his head. "Didn't you hear what I said?!?" he asked loudly.  
  
Luna carried on, her large silver eyes gazing unblinkingly at Malfoy. "I know muggle cameras don't show movement, of course, but still...I suppose any picture would be better than none at all, wouldn't it? Oh!" she said as a look of realization crossed her face. She pulled an old bag up to her chest. "I think I have an artists' rendering of it here...just a moment, I'll show you." She began to rummage through it.  
  
"I don't care about your bloody Snorkdingers or whatever they are!" yelled Malfoy. At that moment he caught sight of Harry and the others standing nearby. Harry and Ron were laughing quietly, their shoulders shaking under the effort to keep silent.  
  
"You can laugh, Potter!" Malfoy yelled at him, then turned back to Luna. "You're dead, Lovegood!"  
  
With that, he turned to leave, his two large thugs in tow.  
  
"Wait!" Luna called after him. "I know I've got it in here somewhere...oh, I really must put this stuff in order..."  
  
Malfoy stopped for a moment and made a half turn back to her. "Aaaarrgghh!" he muttered between grinding teeth and sped away with his cronies down the hall.  
  
Harry and his friends couldn't contain themselves any longer. All three burst out laughing. Professor Flitwick was leaning against the frame in the open doorway with his arms crossed; evidently he'd witnessed the entire event, judging by the grin Harry detected hiding behind his bushy white beard.  
  
"Luna," Hermione said in between fits of laughter, her every word reverberating with mirth, "that was priceless!"  
  
Luna looked up from her bag, "Oh hello," she said, smiling at Hermione. She rummaged a bit more for her 'artist's conception'.  
  
"Oh this bag is impossible! I really have to get my satchel back..."  
  
With that, she turned away from them and ran after her fellow Ravenclaws. Harry and his friends watched her disappear down the long hallway, still having fits of the giggles as their fellow students ogled them curiously as they entered the Charms classroom.  
  
* * *  
  
After their last class of the morning, Hermione left for the library to research her essay on the Salem witch trials, which Professor Binns had assigned to them on their first day, much to Ron's disgust.  
  
Despite Hermione's admonition, Ron decided to spend lunch writing up a letter to send to his mother after noticing he'd neglected to pack any spare socks. Harry, with his first Quidditch practice of the year only scheduled for the following week, decided to likewise skip his homework and take advantage of the lovely September weather and go pay Hagrid a visit.  
  
Harry exited the castle gates, recalling how upset he'd been the last time he'd walked out these same grounds only a few short months before. Though his anger had subsided somewhat since then, the pain of Sirius' death remained burning unabated within him. He'd put on a brave face for Ron and Hermione's benefit, though his anguish was only concealed from them.  
  
He strolled down the path towards Hagrid's cabin, watching a pair of doves on the trail ahead fly off as he approached. Finding no one home, he circled around and made for the lake, following the trail as it led along the edge of the forest near the shore. He looked out on the water, seeing its unbroken surface glittering in the midday sun. The giant squid was nowhere to be seen, presumably content in its underwater habitat. A periodic light breeze caused only the slightest ripples to pass over the shimmering lake.  
  
As he rounded the edge of the forest, he caught sight of a waif-like figure just a short distance ahead of him. The girl was engrossed in picking flowers from the bushes just off the trail. From the telltale waist length hair Harry knew immediately he was gazing at Luna Lovegood.  
  
"Hi Luna," said Harry as he stepped off the path to join her. It was then he saw she hadn't been picking flowers after all, but rather some shrilly- green leaves that grew from lovat waist-high stalks.  
  
She half turned to him and smiled. "Hello," she said dreamily. "How was your summer? You were rather quiet on the train."  
  
"It was okay I guess, all things considered," Harry replied. "I think the Dursleys were terrified that Mad-Eye or Tonks would come checking up on me so they didn't give me too much of a hard time this summer. How 'bout you?"  
  
"Oh, it was rather enjoyable, you know," said Luna. "I went on an expedition to Sweden with Daddy to look for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. We did find tracks of them outside our tent one morning actually, but Daddy says he might have a better lead with someone near Surrey, so I'm crossing my toes!"  
  
"Your - " Harry began, then smiled when he realized he was talking to Luna Lovegood, after all. "Toes, of course."  
  
He looked at the bundle of stringy leaves in her hands. "What are you picking all those weeds for?" he asked out of curiosity.  
  
She glanced down at her stringy foliage clutched in her hand. "Well, I was curious about the Merpeople," she said, looking out at the lake, "I was thinking of giving Daddy a birthday present by sending him an essay about them, you know, but I'd need these to go see them," she raised up her handful of weeds and held it under his nose. Harry leaned back slightly.  
  
Then it suddenly struck Harry. "Hey, isn't that...gillyweed?!" he asked.  
  
"Well, yes," said Luna, smiling at him. "Didn't you pick some when before you went into the lake for the Triwizard tournament?"  
  
"Um - ", Harry began, trying to think up an plausible reason as to how he might have obtained them without coming here, but had a feeling he didn't need to lie to Luna. "Well actually, Dobby gave them to me. I never knew they grew right here. How'd you find out about these?"  
  
She nodded towards the path leading further along the lakeside. "I come by here quite often, actually," she said serenely. "Professor Sprout told us there was gillyweed growing on the school grounds when I was in my third year. Didn't she tell you?"  
  
Harry thought back carefully, but Herbology wasn't exactly one of his best subjects. "Well, maybe she did, but to be honest I might not have been listening."  
  
"No," said Luna, a pensive look on her face, "I suppose you did have rather a lot on your mind back then."  
  
Harry looked at the bushes around them. The gillyweed seemed to be growing from only a few isolated clumps. "She told you where to find them too?"  
  
"No," said Luna, "but when you walk along here often enough you get to remember where things are. She did say that some of the herbs we use in class grow in the wild around here."  
  
"Do you come here a lot?" asked Harry. "This is the first time I've walked this far, I usually just go to Hagrid's cabin."  
  
"Yes," she said, a faraway look in her eyes. "Sometimes the others don't like me lingering around the Common Room, so I come here, but I don't mind really. It makes for a nice stroll, actually."  
  
Harry felt his stomach tighten. Sure Luna was a bit spacey, but that hardly warranted the ill-treatment she received from her fellow Ravenclaws. He wondered if she'd ever gotten her belongings back at the end of the previous term.  
  
"You still think about your Godfather, don't you?" asked Luna out of the blue. Her head tilted a little to one side as she started at him, her expression very serious. "That's why you came here."  
  
Harry found himself slightly taken aback. "Well...yeah," he said hesitantly. "Yeah, I still think about him a lot, and what you said about that veil. Luna, how do you know all this, can you read minds or something?"  
  
Her face brightened as she evidently found the thought amusing. "No," she said quietly. "But I don't have to read minds, Harry." She stood there staring at him, smiling slightly.  
  
Harry had the strangest feeling that she could somehow see everything that was going through his mind. Although Ron and Hermione were his best friends, he still found it uncomfortable talking to them about Sirius, yet he did not feel such reticence with Luna.  
  
"I wasn't related to him by blood or anything," Harry said. "He was a friend of Dad's, they'd been chums since their school days. But...he was like family, really..."  
  
Luna looked at him, her eyes losing some of their usual mistiness. "Yes," she said quietly, "and he still is."  
  
Harry looked at her. He knew she was referring to the Veil, and part of him held out the hope that she was right...she seemed so sure of herself, though he knew not why. But her obvious faith in seeing her own mother again one day seemed to strengthen his own.  
  
"And Harry," she continued, "You do realize you still have family here, you know." She was speaking very earnestly now, without a trace of the dreaminess that was her hallmark.  
  
She was referring to Ron and Hermione, Harry realized. He looked at her as she smiled back at him.  
  
"Well, I have to go see Professor Sprout," said Luna, her dreamy air returning. "She said she has the other ingredients for the water breathing potion. I'll see you later, Harry."  
  
Harry watched her go, heading back towards the castle. Although she certainly had her quirks, he nevertheless had the distinct impression that Luna Lovegood was somehow wiser beyond her years. At least, he hoped so, given her beliefs about the Veil.  
  
* * *  
  
That evening found the trio attending the feast in the Great Hall. After the leftover food had been vanished away, Hermione unfolded her copy of the Daily Prophet and lay it on the table, turning it to face Ron.  
  
Harry blinked as he read the upside-down headline. "Blimey," said Ron, astonished. "It's kind of about time, don't you think?"  
  
Neville and Ginny, upon hearing this, leaned closer to get a better look:  
  
Cornelius Fudge dismissed from Ministry of Magic  
  
"Wow!" exclaimed Neville, looking over at Ron. "That'll take a load off your Dad won't it?" "Yeah," Ron said. "Sure will."  
  
Harry could tell something else was on Ron's mind. It suddenly occurred to him.  
  
"This could makes things complicated between him and Percy, though," he said.  
  
Ron looked at the paper on the table and nodded, raising his eyebrows. "Oh yeah. Could it ever."  
  
"Or," said Hermione, leaning forward to look Ron in the eye, "it could be just the thing that brings them back together too. I mean just think, Ron. Percy had so much confidence in Fudge and he's bound to realize now that his faith was misplaced, wouldn't you think?"  
  
Ron looked back at her. "I don't know, Hermione," he said. "Percy kinda burned his bridges with Mum...I don't know how that's going to turn out."  
  
They were all quiet for a moment when Hermione caught sight of Luna strolling into the Great Hall, heading towards the half deserted Ravenclaw table. Hermione stood up and called her over.  
  
Harry was startled to see Hermione inviting Luna, though pleasantly so. Something had obviously effected a change of heart in her since last term, when they'd often been at odds over Luna's rather unconventional beliefs. He made a mental note to ask Hermione about it when they were alone.  
  
"Hello," said Luna dreamily as Hermione made a space between her and Harry.  
  
"You're a bit late for the feast, Luna," said Ginny, waving her hand at the now foodless tables. "Why didn't you come like an hour ago?"  
  
Luna squeezed into the spot Hermione had made for her and sat down. Harry cast a glance at Ron, who was looking darkly at the paper on the table, an unreadable expression on his face. Well, Harry thought, at least it isn't a look of total disdain.  
  
"I was rather busy, actually," Luna answered. "Hello Ronald," she said, causing Ron to look up at her. He gave an obviously forced smile.  
  
"Um...hey, Luna," he replied without much conviction, before retreating quickly to his paper.  
  
But Luna was by now staring at the Daily Prophet laid out on the table in front of him. "Oh look...Daddy told me they'd be running it today," she said as she tapped the headline article with one finger.  
  
Neville gaped at her. "You knew??" he asked.  
  
"Yes," she said simply. "He told me about it day before yesterday; he said it was too late to include in the latest Quibbler but he'd have an expanded article about it in next month's edition."  
  
Ron gave a start and half jumped from his seat. Harry could swear he saw a hint of a smile play across Luna's face for just an instant.  
  
"What is it, Ron?" asked Hermione.  
  
"On, nutthin'," Ron said as he settled back into his seat, his ears turning beet red. Harry chuckled to himself, seeing the look on Hermione's face.  
  
Seeing that Ron wasn't going to be forthcoming, Hermione turned to Luna and said in a conspirational tone, "By the way, I think it was brilliant the way you handled Malfoy this morning," she turned to the others.  
  
"I think there are some people who would do well to follow that example," she said, looking straight at Ron.  
  
"What?" he asked, looking shocked.  
  
Hermione looked at him dryly. "You're a Prefect, Ron," she said. "I keep telling you, we have to set the example. You can't go around jinxing people you don't - "  
  
"Hey, I didn't jinx him at all since last year!" Ron protested. "It was Dean and the others that nailed him in the train, remember?"  
  
"Gosh, I would have paid real galleons to see that," Neville said as Harry grinned.  
  
A shadow quickly passed over the table, causing them to glance up just in time to see Pigwidgeon land merrily in front of Ron. "Dang it," Ron muttered as he unrolled the note from the tiny owl's leg. "No socks!"  
  
Luna was looking at Pigwidgeon with a dreamy smile. "Isn't he the cutest little owl?" she asked as Ron rolled his eyes, Ginny suppressing a giggle at his reaction. "I'll have enough galleons saved up next month to get myself one. Daddy said Percival is getting a bit old to be handling both the personal mail and Quibbler deliveries, you know."  
  
Luna helped herself to one of the pages of the Daily Prophet, ignoring or oblivious to Ron's shocked glare, and proceeded to make what looked to be an origami representation of an owl.  
  
Ginny looked up from the paper. "You have an owl named Percival?" she asked.  
  
Luna nodded. "He was Mum's originally," she said vaguely, her origami owl becoming surprisingly intricate. "He's a Great Grey that she bought when she went on a trip to Denmark with Daddy years ago." She stopped what she was doing for a moment and looked at Ron with her large silvery eyes. "You have a brother named Percival. He worked for Cornelius Fudge."  
  
Ron was unsure how to answer, as she'd made more of a statement than posed a question, but in any event Luna's concentration had returned to her origami creation. Folding the bottom out into four flanges she then put the finished figure on the table in front of her, and reached for another section of the Daily Prophet. This time Ron let her take a page without protest.  
  
"Blimey," said Ron. Hermione looked stunned, as did Neville and Ginny. Harry could scarcely believe his eyes. Though it was made from ordinary newspaper, the paper owl was truly a work of art. The small origami figure was much more detailed than any they had ever seen, and they'd just witnessed its creation without any magical help.  
  
"Luna, wow..." said Ginny, staring in awe at the paper owl as Pigwidgeon hopped alongside, inspecting it happily. "Could I have that?"  
  
Luna nodded serenely as she started making a new figure, though at this early stage Harry couldn't tell what it was.  
  
"Yes!" exclaimed Ron, "Mum said she thought Pig was too small to carry a bag of socks so she'll have Dad send them from the office tomorrow with a Ministry owl."  
  
"Speaking of the Ministry," said Hermione, "Any idea on who is going to replace Fudge?"  
  
"Well I know Dad wouldn't want the job," said Ron, folding his letter away. "He likes his Muggle Artifacts job way too much, that's for sure. And I know Mum wouldn't like it if he had to spend even more time at the office." "Yeah but think Ron," countered Ginny. "Now that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, they could really use someone from the Order in that job, don't you think? Somebody they could really trust, not another Cornelius Fudge type."  
  
"Oy, don't get me wrong, sis," said Ron, "I think it'd be awesome, maybe we'd even be able to find out what's been going on in the rest of those rooms at the Department of Mysteries. But you know Dad, the high-level stuff doesn't interest him, he likes to get his hands dirty. Heck look at all those bloody Muggle things he takes apart in the shed!"  
  
Ginny shrugged, "I guess," she said. "But I mean who else could they put there that the Order could trust? There are seven department heads aren't there? I'd wager they're all in Fudge's back pocket too."  
  
"He'd be running the place by proxy," said Hermione, nodding in agreement.  
  
"What's proxy?" asked Neville.  
  
"It means he'd still be running the place through the people he controls there," said Hermione as Neville nodded his understanding.  
  
"Well, who then?" Harry asked, as everyone had fallen silent. Then he saw what they were all staring at. Luna had just laid out a new origami figure on the table before them.  
  
They all gazed at it in awe. Just as intricate and detailed as her previous piece, it was the unmistakable origami representation of a wolf.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry was gazing out into the cloudless night sky, sitting next to the windowsill just next to his bed. The full moon was out, its reflection on the lake and the dark shadows cast by the forest made the grounds take on an almost fairy tale setting. He'd decided to wait for Hedwig's return from her nightly hunt, not feeling particularly sleepy despite the late hour.  
  
He heard Ron turn over in his bed for the third time, wishing he could enjoy the slumber which came so easily to his friend. He could, of course, be working on his homework, but this being Friday (or was it Saturday by now?) he had the entire weekend ahead of him, more than enough time to work on his assignments, despite Hermione's earlier warnings.  
  
He leaned his head against the open window frame and felt a rare sense of contentment; his scar hadn't acted up for quite a while. And, he had Quidditch to look forward to again this year, and there was no Umbridge waiting malevolently in the wings to make his life miserable. As an added bonus, there were no O.W.L. exams waiting for him at year end, and he actually felt cautiously optimistic that this year might be better than most.  
  
His eyes glimpsed something in flight rise up from the forest a long way off. He followed its path, thinking it might be Hedwig returning, but as it slowly turned and flew away over the lake his eyes returned to the grounds below.  
  
It was then that he caught sight of movement just at the forest entrance, just beyond Hagrid's cabin. Something was emerging from the woods, slowly making its way along the path towards the castle. It was a smallish figure at this distance, but once it emerged from the shadows of the trees and into the moonlight Harry at once realized who it was, the glint from that long pale blonde hair unmistakable.  
  
Luna, Harry realized. What on Earth is she doing? He knew her propensity for taking long walks, but into the Forbidden Forest? In the middle of the night, no less? Didn't she realize the danger she was putting herself in? Even Hagrid never wandered through the forest at night without Fang and his huge crossbow.  
  
He watched her approaching the castle entrance, when he suddenly came to the realization that it was well beyond curfew.  
  
If she gets caught...  
  
He jumped quietly down from the ledge, leaving the window open in case Hedwig should return in his absence. He opened his trunk and quickly fished out his Invisibility Cloak, donning it and slunk silently to the staircase. He could get in trouble himself if caught, but after all, Luna had stood by him without hesitation despite a considerably greater risk a year ago, putting her own life on the line even after Harry had been telling her not to involve herself. But she had, and she'd been surprisingly adept in the face of mortal danger. He resolved that he couldn't just sit by and let her get into trouble.  
  
He descended the spiral stairs as quietly as he could. He ran through the deserted Common Room, through the Fat Lady's portrait, and came out into the main hall. He ran down to the far end, approaching the side corridor that gave access to the courtyard.  
  
As he got closer Harry stopped in his tracks. He could see the shadows of the sconces on the walls veering slightly, a sure sign of a moving light source. He approached the corner cautiously.  
  
He peeked around it, catching sight of the caretaker, Filch, slowly walking away from him, toward the courtyard entrance, lantern held aloft. Doesn't this guy ever sleep?? wondered Harry. He thought furiously. He had to get Filch turned around somehow, and quickly.  
  
He reached into his back pocket and suddenly realized he'd left his wand on his bedside table in his haste. He had no choice now but to be reckless. Luna was bound to come in from the courtyard any moment. He moved into the middle of the adjoining passageway, jumped up as high as he could and landed loudly on his feet.  
  
Filch spun around, his madman's eyes wide as he scanned the passage where Harry was standing.  
  
"Who's there?!" he asked brusquely.  
  
Harry back away, until he turned the corner out of sight of Filch. He made false running noises, stomping his feet hard at first and gradually lighter, trying to give the impression of someone running off in the distance.  
  
He froze as Filch quickly turned the corner and stopped, staring suspiciously down the corridor in the direction of the would-be perpetrator. Harry slowly backed away. Filch was just a few feet from him; accidentally bumping into him now would be disastrous.  
  
Filch slowly advanced down the corridor, forcing Harry backwards, his eyes darting into every nook and cranny of the hallway, looking for some hidden student. Harry kept creeping silently backwards. This isn't going fast enough, he thought. Filch was ambling forward very slowly, evidently listening carefully for any telltale sounds. But at this distance Harry didn't dare make any; Filch was bound to realize the noise was coming from right in front of him.  
  
Filch quickly spun around as he heard footsteps coming from the adjoining corridor. Harry knew at once it was Luna. He looked desperately for a pebble, anything at all he could throw -  
  
"Aha!" Filch exclaimed, his jowls quivering with glee as Luna turned the corner and nearly bumped into him in her reverie, her dazed expression a marked contrast to his.  
  
She slowly looked up at him, as if just realizing someone was standing before her. "Oh, hello," she said vaguely.  
  
"And just what," Filch was practically sputtering, "are you doin' wandering around the halls at this time o' night?"  
  
Luna stared back at him. "Oh, I just went out for a walk," she said dreamily.  
  
"Bah! A likely story!" Filch retorted. "You were up to no good, I reckon. I'd have figured someone from your house would have the brains to avoid breakin' rules. It'll be detention time for you, missy," he said, wagging a gnarled finger at her. "You're that Lovegood kid, ain't ye? The one they call 'Loony'?"  
  
Harry's heart sank. There was nothing he could do now, she was caught. He started to back away when he suddenly realized her large silvery eyes were staring straight at him.  
  
Harry froze. He looked down, finding that his feet were covered. Nothing seemed to be showing. He looked back up at her. She was still looking right at his face.  
  
"Harry?" said Luna, to his horror.  
  
Filch spun around, lantern held aloft. "What?!" He took a step forward and stopped, evidently seeing no one there. He turned quickly back to Luna. "Tryin' to pull a fast one on ol' Filch, eh?" he said angrily. "Thought you'd run away while me back was turned?"  
  
"Are you all right? You look rather odd, what's wrong?" asked Luna, obviously addressing Harry. His anxiety increasing sharply, Harry desperately shook his head, waving his hands back and forth, trying to tell Luna to stop looking at him.  
  
"What are you talkin' about?" asked Filch irately.  
  
Harry was horror struck when he saw Luna walking straight towards him. He backed up quickly, nearly tripping over his cloak, forced as he was to keep it low to the ground to avoid exposing his feet.  
  
"Ay! Just where in blazes do you think you're goin'?!?" bellowed Filch, as Luna stopped in her tracks. Harry froze again. She can see me! he realized, trying desperately to convey his desperate situation with facial gestures and frantic hand waving. Luna continued to stare right at him, when suddenly her large silver eyes widened precipitously.  
  
She spun around and walked back to Filch, to Harry's immense relief. "I was going to finish my walk," she said simply. "It is a rather nice night for it, you know."  
  
"Finish your walk?!" exclaimed Filch angrily. "You think you can jus' go and do what you like? You've just gotten yourself in detention, missy!"  
  
"Oh," said Luna. "Well all right, I suppose we should go ask Professor Flitwick what he'll assign me then, shouldn't we?" She made to go off down the opposite end of the hall, in the direction of the teacher's chambers.  
  
"Not now!" Filch said, "It's bloody past midnight! I'll go see Flitwick first thing in the mornin'. Now you, get back to your dormitory!"  
  
Harry almost jumped as he glimpsed sudden movement at his feet. He looked down to see the grey shape of Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris amble by him. She had heading for Filch and had missed bumping into Harry by inches, but just as she passed by she suddenly stopped and turned around, sniffing the air suspiciously around her.  
  
This isn't good, Harry thought, slowly backing up, careful not to make a sound with the cat being so close to him. Mrs. Norris, however was still advancing on him, her head up in the air, evidently trying to locate the source of Harry's scent.  
  
"What is it, my sweet?" asked Filch, eyeing his cat with interest.  
  
Harry was beginning to panic. He tried shuffling back faster, but she seemed to be cluing in on his movements. She was closing the gap much too quickly.  
  
"She's an adorable little cat," said Luna merrily, scooping up a startled Mrs. Norris and proceeding to stroke her ears. She was turning back towards Filch but still managed a glance at Harry, who thought he detected a playful glint in her eye.  
  
Filch was staring at her with his mouth open. "Wha - "  
  
Harry wasted no time. He started back down the corridor towards the Gryffindor common room. Looking back over his shoulder he could see Filch gesturing to the floor. "Put 'er down!" he blustered. "She's liable to scratch ye eyes out!"  
  
"Oh no," Luna said dreamily. "She wouldn't do that, would you, Mrs. Norris?"  
  
Harry couldn't help but grin as Filch's bellowing receded in the distance. He ran back up the staircase, two steps at a time. 


	2. Luna's Year, Part II

The following morning Harry went down to the Great Hall for some breakfast. As he walked down the center aisle he spied Ron already hard at work on a stack of pancakes. He sat down opposite his friend and grabbed himself a pair of toast.  
  
"Mornin' Ron," Harry said as he searched the table for a jelly jar.  
  
"Mornin' 'arry." Ron said, his words muffled through a mouthful of pancakes. Swallowing quickly, he handed Harry a nearby strawberry jelly jar. "You're up late this morning," he said.  
  
"Yeah, well," Harry said, buttering his toast. "I couldn't sleep, so I stayed up quite a while...almost had a run-in with Filch too."  
  
"Whoa - " Ron exclaimed, "how'd that happen?? Why'd you leave the dormitory?"  
  
"Well you're not going to believe this," Harry began, "but Luna was taking a walk in the forest last night...I saw her coming back around midnight. I thought I could run down with my cloak and help her sneak back in, but Filch caught her anyway."  
  
"She what?!?" Ron said, incredulous, as Harry saw Hermione entering the Hall and coming to join them. "Does she have a death wish or something?"  
  
"Does who have a death wish?" Hermione asked as she sat next to Ron. "Good morning, by the way," she said as she started to fill her plate with blackberries and baby carrots.  
  
"Luna," Harry answered her. "She was out in the forest last night, I saw her coming back from my room and thought I could help her sneak back in with my cloak, but she got caught anyway."  
  
Hermione held the milk pitcher tilted, completely oblivious to her overflowing cup as she ogled Harry. "Are you serious?" she said, a look of shock on her face.  
  
"Oh yeah," Harry said, "Your cup - " he pointed his finger at her overflowing goblet.  
  
"Oh!" Hermione hastily raised the pitcher back up and proceeded to wiping up the overflow with a napkin. She was dividing her attention between the mess and Harry: "She went into the Forbidden Forest? At night?? What on earth for?"  
  
"No idea," Harry answered, "she mentioned she likes to take long walks, but I didn't think she'd go in there, of all places."  
  
"She is so weird," Ron muttered in between bites.  
  
"Ron!," Hermione turned on him with such a fierce expression that he recoiled from her, "it's her 'weirdness' that helped us so much last year! You and Ginny probably wouldn't even be here today if it wasn't for her! Can't you show her even a bit of the loyalty she's shown us?!"  
  
"Okay okay okay!!" Ron said, apparently fearful that he was about to get slapped in the face. "I take it back!"  
  
Hermione angrily threw her milk-soaked napkin at Ron, who managed to avoid the worst of it by ducking forward. "You don't know anything about her," Hermione snapped, "If you heard the things Ginny tells me...." she looked thoughtful for a moment and looked across at Harry, "That brings to mind, Harry," Hermione continued, "Ginny told me that whatever Luna did to muss up Malfoy's hair like that, she did it without using her wand."  
  
"Well, I've done a few things without a wand, mostly when I was angry," Harry said. "I made a pane of glass disappear once."  
  
"Yes, but Harry," Hermione retorted, "you were really angry and you were making eye contact too, weren't you?"  
  
Harry thought for a moment. "Yeah, come to think of it, I was."  
  
"Well Malfoy was sitting behind Luna," Hermione continued, "and Ginny said she never turned around and never made a sound...that does seem rather odd, Harry."  
  
"Yeah, a little I guess," he admitted, "but she told me once her mom was a really powerful witch that experimented with spells, maybe it's just something she learned through her mother?"  
  
"Hey, maybe she works for the Ministry, maybe we can get Luna to ask her about that door we couldn't get into," Ron suggested.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Oh yes, Ron, by all means: 'Excuse me, Mrs. Lovegood, but we were just wondering what secrets the Department of Mysteries is guarding, we're just curious.' "  
  
Ron shrugged sheepishly. "Well, was just a thought," he muttered.  
  
"We couldn't anyway," Harry said, "her mom died 6 years ago."  
  
"Oh, no, really?" Hermione asked, looking downcast. "How?"  
  
"She died while working with some sort of experimental spell, right in front of Luna, apparently." Harry answered.  
  
"Blimey," Ron said, looking genuinely thunderstruck, "that's...that's bloody awful...I guess that's why she can see those Thestrals, then." Harry nodded.  
  
"Come to think of it," Hermione mulled, "she always talks about her dad, doesn't she? I never noticed she never talked about her mom..."  
  
Harry wondered if he should tell them about Luna seeing through his invisibility cloak, but thought better of it, at least for now...the last thing he wanted was for Ron to overreact.  
  
"Well," Ron said, getting up from the table, "I'd better get going, I promised Ginny I'd help haul some boxes for her down to Binns' office this morning. I'll see you guys at the Pitch later, all right?"  
  
"Yeah, all right, see ya later, Ron," Harry said. Hermione had her mouth full and so waved at him.  
  
Once Ron was out of sight, Harry turned to Hermione, who was now buttering herself some toast.  
  
"Hermione, can I ask you something?" Harry asked.  
  
Hermione glanced up at him from her toast. "Sure, Harry, what's on your mind?"  
  
"Well," he began, "I was just wondering...I'm not complaining, or anything, mind you, it's just that, well - "  
  
"Harry," Hermione laughed, "Just spit it out, I won't bite!"  
  
"Well, I was just wondering," he continued, "How come you're so big on Luna all of a sudden? I mean last year you and her didn't exactly get along...don't get me wrong, I'm happy and everything, I'm just wondering what made you change your mind about her?"  
  
"Oh," Hermione said, looking disappointed.  
  
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned.  
  
"Well, I just thought you were going to talk to me about something else," Hermione said, then paused. She seemed to consider Harry for a moment, bit her lip slightly and continued. "It's just that you've never talked to anyone about Sirius' death last year, Harry, it's not good to keep that bottled up inside...Ron and I agreed to let you talk about it on your own terms when you felt ready, but it's been almost four months now..." she looked at him, her brown eyes compassionate and worried, "you know we're here for you if ever you need to talk about it." She put her hand on his and smiled warmly.  
  
He smiled back at her, "Actually, I did talk about it with Luna a little last year..." he said, "she kind of gave me food for thought, made me feel better, actually." To his surprise Hermione leaned closer, her eyes wide with interest, "What did she say?"  
  
"Well, this is going to sound crazy, I know," he began sheepishly, "but she said she could also hear voices behind that Veil...she seems to think that he's not really gone, just that we can't see him anymore."  
  
Hermione looked at him, her brown eyes seeming to consider the possibility. "Well," Hermione said carefully, "Luna believes in some strange things, I suppose, but...well, we saw a lot of things in there that did defy explanation, Harry. Who knows, maybe she's right."  
  
"She seemed to think her mother was on the other side of that Veil too, or at least that's the impression I got," Harry said, "that's how I found out her mom died six years ago."  
  
Hermione gently bit her lip, seeming to be considering all this. "You know, Harry," she said, "I might have criticized Luna in the past because of all those strange things she believes in, but really, if you asked a muggle if he believed in, say, wizards like us, I'm sure we'd get the same reaction." Harry nodded in silent agreement.  
  
"What I'm trying to say, Harry," Hermione continued in hushed tones, "is that I really don't think she's the lunatic that most of the others make her out to be. And if she's right about Sirius, well..." she smiled tenderly back at him.  
  
"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said. "But what happened, though, I mean how did she convince you about believing all that stuff?"  
  
Hermione glanced down at her hand. "Actually, she didn't really try to convince me of anything," she said. She looked back up at Harry, "I'm going to have a really hard time believing in those Crumple-Horned Snorkack creatures she talks about."  
  
Harry chuckled. He couldn't really blame her there.  
  
"But...she came to visit me last year, when I was in the hospital wing," Hermione said softly.  
  
"She did? I didn't know that," Harry said, surprised.  
  
"Yeah...and I'll tell you, Harry, she cares. In her own, strange, eccentric, loony, way, maybe, but she cares. She felt really bad about Ron and Ginny getting hurt in the Ministry...that opened my eyes a lot," she said softly.  
  
"She opened mine too," Harry said, seeing Hermione giving him an inquiring look, he continued, "Yesterday, she told me I still had family here. I guess I've sort of forgotten that lately," he said, looking across at Hermione, who smiled.  
  
Her eyes were glittering with tears.  
  
**************************************************************************** ************************** That afternoon, Ron was helping Hagrid straighten out one of the Quidditch hoops he had accidentally bent during the morning practice. They had set it on a large, sturdy wooden bench just behind Hagrid's hut. He could have asked Hermione to cast a Reparo spell on it, but given its size, he wondered if the spell would have much effect. In any event, Hermione had just left minutes before Ron, is his haste to fly up to the top hoop to block Ginny's scoring attempt, hadn't realized how close he was to it and crashed his shoulder under the hoop, knocking it from the pole onto the ground below, giving its perfect oval shape a visible bend. He'd feel rather embarrassed to go and explain to Hermione why he needed her mending skills, especially as he was finally starting to come into his own now as a keeper.  
  
Hagrid had done an excellent job hammering the warp out of the hoop, back into its original shape. As Ron looked closely, he could see clear marks where the large hammer had impacted, but he seriously doubted anyone would notice at a distance.  
  
"How's 'at?" Hagrid said, setting aside his hammer and holding the hoop aloft, turning it around so that Ron could see it from all angles.  
  
"Excellent!" Ron grinned. It was practically as good as new. "Thanks, Hagrid!" he said, starting to run off in the direction of the castle.  
  
"Oy," Hagrid said, "ain't ye gonna put it back up?"  
  
Ron turned back to him, "Yeah I am, I just gotta go get Harry, it took two of us to carry it over here, I don't think one broom is enough to take it back up there."  
  
As he rounded Hagrid's hut he very nearly ran straight into Luna Lovegood, who was walking along the wall of the cabin, her air so dreamy that Ron wondered if she was wandering aimlessly. "Hello, Ronald," she said serenely as she looked up at him, as if only now realizing he was there.  
  
"Um - Hi, Luna," Ron said, "are you, er, going for a walk again tonight?"  
  
She looked at him with her large silvery eyes, "No," she said casually, as if she was discussing the weather over tea, "although maybe later tonight, it really is nice weather for one, isn't it?"  
  
"Uh, well, I suppose," Ron said, looking at the sky.  
  
Ron could feel her staring at him, yet she just stood there silently. Well this is getting awkward, he thought. Finally he looked back down at her, her clear eyes staring unblinkingly right at him. "Yeah, yeah, it's really nice weather for a walk," he said unconvincingly.  
  
She was still staring at him! He didn't want to be rude and just run off, but this was driving him up the wall. "Um, listen Luna, I have to go get Harry, I need his help, to er, help me carry something. See ya."  
  
"Well, I can help you," Luna said at last, still staring at him. "What do you have to carry?"  
  
"Uh, well, we kinda need another broom," Ron said, "that's why I have to go get Harry, so..."  
  
Ron was waiting uncomfortably for her assent, or any sign at all, for some reason he felt intensely ill at ease around her.  
  
She tilted her head, staring at him even more intently, if that was possible. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?" she asked.  
  
"What?" Ron said, taken aback by the question. "No, not really, I just, no, it's all, you know, you're ok, I mean- "  
  
Luna looked at him with the closest thing to a frown he had ever seen her use. She took a step toward him and he backed away hurriedly, "Why are you scared of me?" she said.  
  
"I'm not!" he said rather more loudly than he would have liked. "It's just...I don't know, Luna, you're just...different from what I'm used to, that's all, it's nothing personal."  
  
"Oh...okay," she said softly, still staring at him.  
  
Now Ron felt terrible. Why had she put him in this situation?! He looked at her, not knowing what else to say. Her face was caught in the light of the setting sun behind him, her long dirty blonde hair moving slightly in the early evening breeze. She looked strangely ethereal standing there.on looks alone she could be considered strinking, if only she wasn't so determinedly bizarre!  
  
"Oy," Hagrid said, emerging from behind the cabin. "You're still 'ere, Ron? Don't ye wanna get Harry 'fore gets too dark?"  
  
"Yeah!" Ron said, thankful for the interruption, "I'll just - "  
  
Luna had whirled around and was facing Hagrid, who looked even bigger standing in front of her. "Hello, Rubeus," she said pleasantly. "Er, hello, Luna, ain't it?" Hagrid said, smiling down at her, to which she nodded vigorously. "Professor Flitwick sent me to do my detention here," she said, almost proudly, Ron thought.  
  
"Oy, so he has," Hagrid replied, bending way over so as to talk to her more or less face-to face, a friendly smile on his face. "But don' call me Rubeus, all righty? It's no' a name I ever really cared fer. Just call me Hagrid."  
  
"Oh, okay, Hagrid," she said.  
  
"Professor Flitwick said he would leave your detention up to me" Hagrid said cheerfully, "so just between you an' me, why don' ye just pick an' clean the cabbages in the garden ou' back? Shouldn' take too long, and then we'll say ye were workin' till the wee hours of the mornin'. "  
  
She was staring back at him with her large silver eyes; Ron suppressed a chuckle when he saw Hagrid didn't seem how to react either.  
  
"Isn't that rude, though?" she said questioningly.  
  
"Er, what?" Hagrid asked, confused, glancing at Ron. "Isn't what rude?"  
  
"Calling someone by their last name," Luna said conversationally. "Daddy calls that Fudge man by his last name because he doesn't think very highly of him."  
  
"Er, well," Hagrid said uncertainly, "I s'pose, well, if ye did it without permission, maybe, but I'm givn' ye permission. In fact, you'd me makin' me feel better by not callin' me Rubeus," he said smilingly.  
  
"Oh, all right, then," Luna said, smiling.  
  
"In the meantime," Hagrid said, straightening back up, "I'm going to go in an make us a spot o' tea," he said as he climbed the steps into the cabin.  
  
Luna looked back at Ron. He thought she was about to say something, but instead she smiled vaguely at him. She turned and walked to the back of the cabin, out of sight.  
  
Ron stood and stared at the deserted pathway for a moment. He hadn't intended to hurt her feelings, but she was so, well, loony, what he couldn't bring himself to be comfortable around her. I wonder how Harry manages it, he thought, as she spun around and ran back to the castle.  
  
**************************************************************************** *********************  
  
I took Ron almost an hour to find Harry. He had finally tracked him down in the kitchens, apparently he had gone down to ask Dobby about where he had found the gillyweed a couple of years before. While looking for him Ron had thought about going to ask Ginny for help instead, but she had laughed so much at his accident with the hoop he didn't really need to be reminded.  
  
When they finally emerged from the castle heading towards Hagrid's shack, the sun had set and darkness was quickly setting in. If they hurried, they just might be able to fit the hoop back on the pole before it became really dark...they could always use their wands to illuminate themselves, but Ron really didn't want to draw any attention...a glowing bright light floating above the Pitch would almost certainly be noticed by anyone standing near a window.  
  
As they walked towards the cabin, they saw Hagrid sitting on front steps, a large mug in his hands, scratching Fang behind the ears. "Hi, Hagrid," Harry said as they passed by, walking to the back to fetch the hoop. "Hiya, boys," Hagrid replied, taking a large sip of tea.  
  
"There it is," Ron said, pointing at the large wooden workbench. As he and Harry each grabbed a side of the hoop and heaved it off the table, Ron noticed that there was no one in the garden.  
  
As they passed by Hagrid for the second time, Ron said in passing, "I guess Luna's finished detention then, has she?"  
  
"Aye, that she has," Hagrid said, "said she was off fer a walk after that."  
  
Harry stopped in his tracks, almost making Ron lose his grip on the hoop. "She went for a walk? Did she say where?"  
  
"Well, I dunno," Hagrid said, "I was in me cabin at the time, she just came in to tell me she'd finished with the cabbages, and was gon' to take a walk," he looked at Harry, "why, are ye lookin' for her?"  
  
"Well, no," Harry said, "It's just that last night she went for a walk in the forest, she wouldn't do that again, would she?" he looked back at Ron, who shrugged.  
  
"She what?" Hagrid asked, disbelievingly. "She wouldna go into the forest on 'er own, would she?"  
  
"She might," Harry said worryingly, turning back to Ron, "Listen, Ron, we've got to make sure she's all right, let's put this back up when we get back, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, all right," Ron said grudgingly, as they leaned the hoop up against the cabin.  
  
By now Hagrid was standing and hurrying back into the cabin. A few moments later he emerged with his crossbow. "All right," he said, "I'll go lookin' aroun' the woods, you guys look around 'ere, all right? If any of ye find 'er, just send off one of these," he handed each of them what Harry thought looked like a big firecracker. "Ye just pull the ring at the bottom there," he said, "and it'll shoot straight up and give off a bunch o' noise and sparklies, I'll be able to see it or hear it even in the woods 'ere," he tilted his head towards the forest.  
  
"Okay," Harry said, "but maybe one of us should go with you?"  
  
"Hogwash," Hagrid said, patting his huge crossbow. "I'll be fine, nuttin's gonna come after me while I got this in me 'ands." he turned and walked briskly into the forest, Fang following at his side.  
  
"Okay," Harry said, turning back to Ron. "I know she sometimes walks along the trail between the forest and the lake there," he pointed to the path heading away from them towards the lake. "I'll go check that out," he looked in the opposite direction, "Ron, why don't you go check out the road to the train station? I don't know if she ever goes there or not but we'd better make sure."  
  
"Yeah okay," Ron said, as they both walked quickly away from Hagrid's hut.  
  
After maybe a couple of hundred feet down the road, Ron realized he was still carrying his broom. Quickly mounting it, he started flying along the road, perhaps just a dozen or so feet above the ground. It was too dark to fly very high, until the moon rose higher in the sky he could easily miss someone below him if they were in the shadows.  
  
He was moving at a jogging pace, making good time, though after a few minutes he did a double take as thought he saw movement on the road below him. Quickly turning back, he dropped to the ground near where he thought he saw something, though the road seemed deserted now. He looked back and forth, wondering if maybe his eyes had been playing tricks on him in the darkness. He was about to remount his broom when he heard rustling just off the side of the road. Moving closer, he saw a small trail, heading off into the brush...it was so narrow that he wasn't surprised he had never noticed it before.  
  
He could see something small moving away from him; quickly taking out his wand, he held it aloft and uttered "Lumos!"; as his wand burst into light he saw a small hare bound into the brush a few feet ahead of him.  
  
So much for that, he thought. But then he looked closer, seeing barely noticeable prints of someone's shoes...he moved along the trail a few meters, seeing very few of them as most of the trail was packed hard, but every once in a while in a sandy part he could see some more...he decided to check it out, seeing as how it was the only thing to go on at the moment. He decided to walk it, in case he came across other small trails along the way, but after awhile it seemed to him that this was a well-worn pathway. After a few more minutes the trail longed the rock face, and Ron was beginning to think he was on a wild goose chase, until something startled him.  
  
"Ronald?" he heard an airy voice say; it seemed to be coming from above.  
  
He held his wand aloft, when his eyes caught sight of something moving about ten feet above him. Looking up higher, his wand's light illuminated the familiar figure of Luna Lovegood, who was sitting alone, a copy of The Quibbler on her lap, her feet dangling loosely back and forth from the rock ledge. Her wand was tucked in its usual position behind her ear, its tip illuminated ever so slightly, giving off just enough light to read by.  
  
"Luna!" Ron said, relieved, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm reading," Luna said, holding up The Quibbler and pointing unnecessarily to the paper. "It was getting impossible to try and read in our Common Room, you know, and Madame Pince won't allow me reading this in the library, so I came here. Anyway," she said, looking down at him with her luminous silver eyes, "what are you doing here?"  
  
"Looking for you, of course," Ron said irritably, "we're all out looking for you."  
  
Luna stared at him for several long moments, making Ron feel uneasy again. "Why? It's not even curfew yet, is it?"  
  
"No," Ron said, "Harry thought you were out walking in the forest again, Hagrid's in there looking for you right now, Blimey, that reminds me - " Ron took the big firecracker Hagrid had given him and pulled the ring at the bottom, and held it vertically at arms length. Several moments passed. Great, he thought, he gave me a dud.  
  
Luna was looking down at him curiously, her head tilted slightly to one side. "What are you doing?" she asked, her voice tinged with amusement, "You look like a statue."  
  
Ron kept the stick at arms length for a while longer. He looked at the bottom part, he had indeed removed the ring as Hagrid had told him to, but evidently nothing was going to happen. He finally gave up and dropped his arm to his side, turning to look up at Luna.  
  
"I - " Ron began but at that moment there was a large flash and the firecracker shot rapidly from his hand, hitting the rock just below Luna and bouncing back at him, emitting a shrieking fizzing sound and shooting off brilliant multi-colored sparklies in all directions.  
  
"Aaugh!" Ron yelled as he tried to dodge the violently bouncing firecracker, jumping up when it hit the ground at his feet and trying desperately to scamper away, but as luck would have it, it kept bouncing seemingly back at him, hitting him several times. Finally he threw himself to the ground and covered his head as the firecracker eventually started sputtering out next to him.  
  
When the firecracker finally died out he became aware of another loud sound above him. He looked up to see Luna laughing hysterically, arms clutching her sides and rocking back and forth on the ledge. It reminded him very much of the first day he saw her on the train a year before, although this time he had almost been blown up by some infernal bomb, and here she was laughing at it all!  
  
Luna rocked back and forth, consumed with mirth, The Quibbler dropping to the ground below her. Ron slowly got back up, aching from the spots where the thing had hit him with surprising force. "That wasn't funny!" He yelled at her angrily.  
  
"Yes - it - was!" Luna said breathlessly, doubling over with laughter.  
  
"That could've hit me in the head!" Ron yelled back, but Luna's laughter seemed unstoppable. All right, he thought to himself, fuming, I'll just wait for her to regain her senses, then we can get out of here.  
  
"Okay, let's go," Ron said after a minute, quickly losing patience. Luna was still giggling considerably, slowly climbing down the slope on the far side of the rock and coming to join him at last after picking up her paper. She was looking at him, her eyes filled with tears of laughter, both hands pressed into fists together in front of her mouth in an attempt to stop from laughing out loud.  
  
Ron bit his lip and sighed. "Okay, let's get going," he said, leading the way back along the path.  
  
"Do another one," he head Luna say merrily behind him, a minute or so later.  
  
"I only had one." Ron said, without turning, as he continued along the trail. "It's some sort of signal flare Hagrid uses, I was supposed to shoot it into the sky if I found you."  
  
"That was so funny," she said cheerfully.  
  
"Look!" Ron said, spinning around to face her, "I didn't come here to make you laugh, all right? I'm doing this as a favor to Harry, he thought you were in trouble so that's why we went looking for you!"  
  
Luna stopped in her tracks, her smile gone, her eyes wide and looking at Ron in an unfathomable stare. Oh not this again, Ron thought to himself.  
  
"Well, you aren't being very nice," Luna said.  
  
"Me?!" Ron said angrily, "You're the one who goes wandering out at night forcing us to drop everything and go looking for you! Then I almost get killed and you find that hysterical!"  
  
"I didn't force you to come here, Ronald," Luna said, her voice so low he could barely hear her. "Like you said, you're here because Harry asked you."  
  
Ron opened his mouth to speak, but lost his train of thought. He suddenly realized what he'd said and how it must have sounded like to her. He hadn't meant to make it sound like she didn't matter, but that was clearly the meaning he had conveyed.  
  
"You can leave, if you like," Luna said, "I come here quite often to catch up on my reading, it really is quite safe, you know. You can tell Harry you found me and I'm fine," she was speaking conversationally but Ron noted her voice didn't sound the same, almost like she had something stuck in her throat.  
  
With that, she turned around and started walking back along the path in the direction of the rocky ledge.  
  
This was going from bad to worse, Ron thought. He ran forward and caught up with her. "Luna, wait," Ron said, as she stopped and faced him again. "I didn't mean it to sound like that, it came out all wrong."  
  
She was staring at him, and at this distance Ron could see by the wand light her silvery eyes were misty. His stomach felt rather heavy now. "Look, when we get back, I'll take you to a secret door I know and show you the kitchens, okay? I'll bet the elves would love to meet you."  
  
"Oh, it's okay," Luna said, a vague smile on her face, "I already know how to get there anyway."  
  
"You do? Oh - " Ron was surprised, but not exactly shocked. Luna did seem to know a lot, even if most of it was weird.  
  
"Well, I'll take you there anyway," Ron continued, "Dobby makes what he calls cocobombs, they're really awesome, I'm sure you'd like 'em." He tried to give Luna a reassuring smile, unsure of how convincing he was.  
  
"No, that's okay, really," she said, a sad smile on her face, "I know you don't like me much."  
  
Ron stood there with his mouth open, at a total loss of what to say. "That's not true! I - "  
  
But Luna's stare was enough to make him shut up. He doubted he could convince her of anything now. "It's okay, Ronald," she said very softly. After a few moments, she walked around him and started walking towards the main road. "Let's go find Harry, shall we?" she called back to him.  
  
It was the longest walk Ron had ever taken in his life. He felt downright terrible, he kept trying to think of something to talk about along the way, but everything felt so artificial, he got the distinct impression that if he tried to make things better they would only get worse. So they walked the entire way back to Hagrid's cabin in silence. 


	3. Luna's Year, Part III

Once they had reached the familiar sight of Hagrid's hut they saw a small figure sitting on the steps. As they were approaching, the figure stood up; once they got within the glow of the hut Ron could see it was Harry.  
  
"Ron!" he said, running forward to meet them. "You found her! Are you ok, Luna?"  
  
"Oh yes, quite well," she said dreamily. "I was just out catching up on some reading, it really is a nice night for it, you know."  
  
"Well, yeah I guess it is," Harry said, "not raining or anything - hey Ron, why didn't you use your flare?"  
  
"Oh, that stupid thing!" Ron said, seemingly all flustered. "Bloody thing almost took my head off...I used it, all right, I just ended up shooting it at a rock."  
  
"You're supposed to shoot them up into the sky," Harry said, a frown on his face. He noticed Luna half turn from him; in the cabin's light he couldn't be sure, but it looked like she was smiling to herself for some reason.  
  
"Yeah, I know that!" Ron said. "Hey - we can use yours to signal Hagrid, can't we?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," Harry said, looking at his flare with an uncertain expression. "Well, if they tend to blow up, why don't we see first if he's nearby?"  
  
Ron was all for that, so they ran to the edge of the forest and began calling out.  
  
"Hagrid!"  
  
"Haaagrid!!"  
  
"Mister Rubeus Hagrid!"  
  
Harry turned to Luna, "I don't think you have to be so formal," he said, grinning.  
  
After a minute or so of calling out, it became obvious Hagrid was out of earshot. "Well," Harry said, taking the flare in one hand, "looks like we've got no choice." He prepared to remove the ring at the base.  
  
"Whoah, wait!" Ron said. "Harry, when you pull that ring, it's probably going to take like 20 seconds or so before going off, so whatever you do, keep pointing it up!"  
  
"Yeah, all right," Harry said, putting his finger in the ring.  
  
Harry pulled the ring. Nothing happened. Ron hurriedly backed off until he was about a good thirty feet from Harry.  
  
Luna turned to him, pointing up. "Tree." she said simply.  
  
"What?" Harry asked, not understanding.  
  
"Look," she said, pointing up higher. Following her finger, Harry realized at once what she meant. They had moved so close to the forest that the canopy was above them, he could barely make out stars through the branches.  
  
"No!" Harry said, as he took off at a sprint to where Ron was standing. If it went off in here -  
  
(There seems to be a little bit of a discrepancy here. I thought they were near the hut, or at least close enough for the light of the hut to illuminate their faces. There is a good clearing around the hut so how come they're under the canopy of the forest?)  
  
Bang!!! The firecracker shot out of his hand with a roar and exploded among the branches above, causing a great many of them to come falling back to the ground. Harry kept running and managed to avoid the worst of it.  
  
"Oh that's great," Ron said, his arms flailing. "How are we gonna signal Hagrid now?"  
  
Harry felt sheepish. "Well, we already tried yelling," he said.  
  
"Let's go find him," Luna said serenely, as she walked over to them.  
  
"Go in there?" Ron said, pointing at the woods. "Are you - "  
  
"Crazy?" Luna asked, staring at Ron, who immediately regretted his words. Why am I blurting out all this stuff without thinking, he thought furiously. "Most seem to think so," she said, casually, staring at him. Ron caught the meaning, making him feel even worse.  
  
"Look," Harry said, "We can't just sit here and wait, I know Hagrid, he's going to keep looking until he sees one of those flares go up. We've got to go get him."  
  
"Yeah, okay," Ron said, looking ill, not having many fond memories of his excursions into the woods.  
  
"Lumos," Luna said, illuminating her wand. The others followed suit. She smiled at them, turned around and proceeded to march straight into the forest.  
  
"Er," Harry said, catching up to her, "aren't we going a bit fast? This seems kind of reckless..."  
  
She looked at him as she continued walking. "Well, we'll see Hagrid easily enough, won't we? He's in here looking for me, after all."  
  
"I didn't mean about finding Hagrid," Harry said, "but there are all sorts of things in these woods, not many of them are friendly."  
  
"Oh, come on," Luna said, "I've been in here countless times, I've always come out all right."  
  
"What?" Harry said disbelievingly. "You mean you've been in here before last night?"  
  
Luna turned to him with a surprised smile. "Well, of course," she said, making his question sound ridiculous. "I've been taking walks here since first year. It's such a pretty forest," she said, waving her hand at the trees around them.  
  
"Good Lord, Luna," Harry said, looking at her worryingly. "You're so lucky you didn't run into the centaurs, or worse - "  
  
"Oh, you mean Ronan and the others?" Luna asked vaguely.  
  
Harry stopped, Ron almost bumping into him from behind. Luna continued for a few steps before realizing she was walking alone. "What's wrong?" she asked, walking back to them.  
  
"You've seen them??" Harry asked, gaping at her.  
  
"Well, yes," Luna replied, as if he was the one who was off his rocker. "They have really interesting ways of looking at things, you know."  
  
"You've...talked to them??" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes," Luna said simply, "It would be rude to ignore them, wouldn't it? Anyway, we'd best keep moving," she said, indicating the trail ahead of them.  
  
"Right," Harry said, remembering why they were here in the first place. He moved up to walk alongside her again. "They didn't...seem a bit upset that you were in the forest?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, at first, I suppose so," Luna said vaguely, "that Bane fellow really didn't want me here at all, but I think he's mellowed over the years...besides, I think he likes it when you ask him about the constellations and their meanings; I know them by heart now," she said, jumping over a large gnarled vine that was growing across the path. Harry nearly tripped over it as he had been looking at her and not paying much attention to where he was walking. Ron, walking behind them, was forewarned and had no trouble.  
  
They continued walking in silence for several minutes, Harry wondering at what Luna had said. The encounters he had had with the centaurs, aside from Firenze, had not exactly gone well. They seemed to have a disdain of humans, and he was frankly amazed that they seemed to tolerate Luna's presence.  
  
Well, he thought, maybe she believes in some of what they say. They do seem to place a lot of value in their beliefs...  
  
"Harry!" Ron said in a strangely squeaky voice from behind them. He and Luna both stopped and turned around, seeing Ron with a terrified look on his face, pointing back along the path they had just walked along.  
  
Harry saw it. A huge, gray hairy spider was on the path, facing them. It was about the size of a dog, its' multiple solid black eyes looking at them. Harry raised his wand.  
  
Luna pushed his arm back down. She was looking at him strangely, "What are you doing?" she asked curiously.  
  
"That's one of Aragog's children," Harry replied. "Ron and I had a run-in with them before,"  
  
"Who's Aragog?" Luna asked conversationally.  
  
"You don't want to know," Harry said, looking around nervously...was his mind playing tricks on him, or was he picking up the sounds of rustling in the forest all around them?  
  
"Sure I do," Luna said, smiling at him expectantly with her large silver eyes.  
  
He wasn't imagining it. Harry could sense movement all around them. "This really isn't a good time," he said quickly. Ron looked on the verge of panic. They had to get out of here, now. He raised his wand and pointed it at the spider blocking the trail behind them.  
  
Luna pushed his arm down again. "What are you doing that for?" she asked, a frown on her face, "they won't bother us, you know."  
  
"Don't be so sure!" Harry said, as he watched seemingly hundreds of giant spiders emerging into the wand light around them. They were everywhere; he couldn't see any route of escape. He looked at Ron, who was hurriedly mounting his broomstick.  
  
Great idea! Harry thought, as he mounted his Firebolt. Luna looked at them curiously. "Where are you going?" she asked casually.  
  
Harry looked back at her in shock. He just realized she didn't have a broom. "Ron!" Harry said, turning back to him, "We can't leave Luna here!"  
  
"Why would you want to leave me here?" Luna asked, seemingly oblivious to the situation around them.  
  
"Look!" Harry said, gesturing all around them.  
  
Luna gazed around dreamily, seeing the spiders slowly edging closer and closer to them. "That's strange," she said, with the closest thing to a concerned look Harry had ever seen her display. "They've never behaved like this before."  
  
Harry waved his wand all around him, pointing it at the encroaching spiders. "Stay back!" he shouted. He wasn't sure if they could understand him or not, but as he knew Aragog could, it seemed a fair bet. But in any case his warnings didn't seem to deter them. They were still inching closer. The nearest ones were just a few feet from them now.  
  
Harry thought furiously. He couldn't think of a spell that could take care of all these spiders; the last time they were in this situation Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia had saved them. But now...  
  
"Aarggh!" Harry whipped around, Ron had a huge spider on his back, its legs wrapped around him; he was trying desperately to fend off its large fangs from biting into him with the shaft of his broom.  
  
"STOP IT!!!" Luna screamed, her wand pointing directly at the spider's eyes, it's tip only inches from Ron's head. The spider seemed to recoil slightly, and Ron looked doubly petrified by both the spider and her wand so close to his head. "GET OFF HIM!!" she yelled again, her wand shaking, a furious look in her silvery eyes that Harry had never seen before.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" Luna shouted. A flash of intense golden light shot from her wand and struck the spider squarely between its many eyes. It was hurled off Ron and sent spinning through the air, landing in the midst of its siblings in the darkness beyond.  
  
"Oh! God!" Ron said, shaking himself like a wet dog. Harry pointed his own wand at the host of spiders encroaching on them. Expelliarmus was good for a single spider, but how could they deal with all of these, there had to be hundreds of them!  
  
The spiders were almost on top of them now. Suddenly Harry sensed something around them, almost like the air was crackling with energy; he felt his hair standing on end, as if he had run a balloon quickly back and forth through it. He turned and saw Luna pointing her wand in the direction of the spiders blocking the trail behind them.  
  
"Electronumus!!" she yelled, and for a few moments Harry thought the spell had failed. But then he became aware of a growing rumbling around them, becoming ominously louder until it exploded in a deafening crack! Blinding white tendrils of light that shot out from above, striking the path behind them with a roaring blast, the air searing with heat. Branches were falling everywhere. The ground shuddered so much that he nearly fell over. The very air around them seemed to radiate with energy.  
  
It took several moments for his senses to return; his ears were ringing loudly. When he could finally see again a few moments later, he saw a large area of blackened soil in a foot-deep depression in the earth behind them where the spell had hit. Dozens of spiders were on their backs, smoke rising from their burnt carcasses. Tiny blazing embers were still falling all around them from the charred branches above. Harry spun around, wand at the ready, but saw the rest of the spiders quickly scampering away back into the darkness.  
  
Luna collapsed to the ground beside him, her face inexpressive, her eyes staring off into the woods.  
  
Harry fell to his knees beside her. Ron looked around them in all directions, his wand at the ready, a look of confusion on his face. "What was that?" he asked.  
  
"Luna, are you okay?" Harry said, worried at her apparent state. She showed no sign of seeing him, still staring off at nothing. Harry gently put his hand on her shoulder and shook her slightly to see if she had been stupefied somehow.  
  
She eyes refocused at last, as she turned slowly to look at him. "I wasn't supposed to do that," she said softly.  
  
"What was that?" Harry asked, unable to suppress a look of awe on his face, given what he had just witnesses. "Did you use that back at the Ministry?" It would certainly explain how she managed to get Ginny and Ron out from the Department of Mysteries, he thought.  
  
She stared at him for a few moments before seeming to realize his question. "No," she said in little more than a whisper. "It doesn't work indoors. I wasn't supposed to use it at all really," she said, her expression distant.  
  
"Why?" Harry said. "That was incredible, I don't remember ever hearing about that spell before."  
  
Luna looked back up at him. Her silver eyes were watery. "It...it doesn't really..." she took a deep breath and seemed to refocus herself. "It was one of the spells my Mum experimented with," she said, her voice a little stronger. "She made me promise once never to use them, she said they were quite risky and they hadn't been approved by the Ministry."  
  
Harry's heart sank. No wonder Luna seemed so drained. Was that the spell that...? "Luna," he began softly, "Was it...what that the..."  
  
They heard a distant crashing sound through the brush. Luna slowly got back up to her feet, Harry following suit. She didn't seem at all well. "Did you hear that?" Ron asked.  
  
Luna and Harry both nodded. "It's still far," Luna said, tilting her head slightly to one side and listening intently. "Well," she said, turning to Harry and Ron, "We'd best move on if we're going to find Hagrid."  
  
Ron was looking at her in shock. Even Harry looked surprised, considering what had just happened. "Look, Luna," he said, holding out his Firebolt in front of him, "use my broom, go back to the castle, you'd better go see Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing, just to be sure."  
  
"No, I'm fine," Luna said, though she seemed rather pale to Harry. She made to continue along the path again, Ron and Harry looking at each other, not quite knowing what to make of all that had just happened.  
  
Luna took only a few steps then stopped again. "What is it?" Harry asked as he moved next to her.  
  
"Listen," she whispered, pointing to darkness ahead of them.  
  
Harry strained to listen, becoming aware of that same distant crashing noise as though something was charging full speed through the forest. As is got closer Ron could hear it too, as he moved to the other side of Luna. "Blimey," he said softly, "whatever that is, it sounds big!"  
  
He and Harry both raised their wands as the sounds grew closer, until finally they could see something moving in the darkness ahead, something quite large -  
  
"Harry?"  
  
Harry heard the familiar voice with great relief. "Hagrid!" he said, running forward to meet the huge gamekeeper. He had emerged from the forest onto the path, Fang right behind, apparently somewhat winded from his long run.  
  
"What in blazes was that noise?" he asked, then looking at Luna and Ron. "Oy, ye found 'er, did ye?"  
  
"You mean like a big explosion a couple of minutes ago?" Harry asked, a sense of security returning to him now that Hagrid was with them.  
  
"Aye, didn't ye hear it?" Hagrid asked.  
  
"Oh yeah," Harry said, "it was...er - " he turned back and looked at Luna, who still didn't look very well. She didn't give any sign to Harry, so he turned back to Hagrid, "Luna cast some sort of lightning spell I'd never heard of before."  
  
Hagrid looked at him in confusion and was scratching the back of his head. "But why, though?" he asked. "Were ye tryin' to signal me in 'ere?"  
  
Harry turned around and pointed to the trail behind them. "Because of those," he said.  
  
Hagrid moved forward until he caught sight of the still smoking ground, looking in shock at the dead spiders all around.  
  
"Great gallopin' - " Hagrid said. He turned around to look at the three of them. "What 'appened 'ere?"  
  
"They were horrible, Hagrid," Ron said, "they had us surrounded, one nearly bit my head off!"  
  
"That's strange," Hagrid said, looking back at the dead spiders. "They've never bothered me before."  
  
"That's what I said too," Luna chimed in.  
  
Hagrid looked at her. "I'll 'ave to talk to Aragog 'bout this. Well, yer safe, that's what counts. Well what say we head back to me cabin and I'll make ye all a good cup o' tea?"  
  
Harry looked at Ron, who still seemed rather the worse for wear after confronting his greatest phobia, and Luna, she just didn't look right. "Thanks, Hagrid," Harry said, "But maybe I should take Luna to see Madam Pomfrey, I think that spell - "  
  
"I'm fine!" Luna protested.  
  
"Well anyway," Hagrid said, pointing to the trail, "We shouldn't stick around 'ere for no reason, let's head back, shall we?"  
  
With that, he led the way back out of the forest, with three very tired students following closely behind. 


	4. Luna's Year, Part IV

"You WHAT?" exclaimed Hermione, snapping her book closed and leaning forward out of the large plush chair next to the fireplace, a shocked expression on her face. "What on Earth were you doing in the forest? You found Luna on the trail to Hogsmeade, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah, well," Ron said, flopping down heavily in the sofa facing the Common Room's warmly blazing hearth, dropping his broom tiredly to the floor. "We thought Hagrid wouldn't come back until he'd seen the firecrackers, so..." He leaned backwards and rested his head in the corner of the chair, his eyes half closed and looking to Harry. "I never want to go back in there, mate. Those spiders have it in for me, I'm telling you!"  
  
Hermione shook her head at Ron in exasperation. She turned to Harry. "How'd you get away from them? Did that old car save you again?"  
  
"That's the strange part," said Harry in a low voice, leaning over the side of his chair. He didn't want the other Gryffindors scattered about the room to overhear; the last thing he wanted was to inadvertently enhance Luna's reputation as an oddball in Hogwart's grapevine of gossip. Hermione, seeing Harry glancing around them, grasped his meaning and leaned closer, listening attentively.  
  
"She cast this spell," said Harry, "I think it was Electronumos, something like that...anyway...you wouldn't believe what that spell did, Hermione."  
  
"What?" she asked, her eyes widening in anticipation.  
  
"I'm pretty sure it was a lightning strike, or something just like one...I mean if you could've heard it, my ears are still ringing a little...and there was something in the air too, I could feel this static all over, you know, like when you run a balloon through your hair?" Harry asked as Hermione slowly nodded, looking at him with her mouth slightly open, apparently speechless. "Anyway, it made a hole in the ground where it hit and blasted a bunch of spiders. The others didn't seem to want to hang around after that."  
  
"Harry," said Hermione quietly after several moments of silence. "I don't remember ever reading about a spell like that anywhere..." her brown eyes looked apprehensive.  
  
"That's the other thing," continued Harry, glancing back to ensure no one was eavesdropping. "She said it was one of the spells her mother used to experiment with...she said she'd made a promise to her never to use it..." he looked at Hermione, a concerned look dawning in his eyes. "I was wondering...you know, if it was..."  
  
"The spell her mum was experimenting with...when..." Hermione finished, her eyes staring back at Harry with equal disquietude.  
  
"Yeah," said Harry heavily. He sighed, turning his gaze to the glowing fireplace. "She didn't look right, Hermione. I don't know if it was an effect of the spell or something else..."  
  
Hermione was looking very worried now. "What did Madame Pomfrey say?"  
  
"I don't know," said Harry sadly. "She kicked us out before we could ask anything. I'm going to drop by later tonight and check up on her."  
  
"I'll go with you," said Hermione.  
  
* * *  
  
They decided to go visit Luna in the hospital wing at eight o'clock that evening. Harry prevented Hermione from waking Ron. "He had this huge spider on him, Hermione, I think he's still in shock. Maybe we should let him sleep it off." Hermione nodded in agreement and left Ron slumbering peacefully before the fireplace. She and Harry quietly made their way out of the Common Room and into the main hall.  
  
Harry led the way into the hospital wing, Hermione following close behind. As they walked by the first few beds he could see that, apart from Madame Pomfrey, the place was quite deserted.  
  
"Excuse me, Madame Pomfrey," said Hermione as she approached the nurse's desk at the far end of the arched hall. "But we came down to visit Luna Lovegood...is she all right?"  
  
"Oh yes, child," replied the nurse. "She's perfectly fine, just went through a traumatic experience is all. I expect she'll have a few nightmares about spiders and all, but she's otherwise in excellent health."  
  
"Oh, al right. Well thank you, then." smiled Hermione as she and Harry left the hall.  
  
Harry closed the door behind him and turned to Hermione, waiting until a pair of Slytherins had walked out of earshot before speaking. "Well, I guess she's gone to the Ravenclaw tower, then."  
  
"I imagine," agreed Hermione, striking a pensive pose. "I think we should still check up on her tomorrow morning, say at breakfast? In the meantime," she said, looking down the hall towards the staircase going to the second floor, "I'm going to go to the library. I'll catch up with you later, all right?"  
  
"The library?" asked Harry. "It's getting pretty late, you know."  
  
"I know," replied Hermione, "But I really want to go see if I can find any references to that spell you described. Anyway," she smiled at him, pointing to her prefect's badge, "I have certain privileges about after hours activites."  
  
Harry grinned, knowing prefects were exempt from curfew, gathering that Hermione would be in the library a good while.  
  
"Well, okay," he said, "I won't wait up for you, then."  
  
With that, he bade her goodnight and made his way back to Gryffindor Tower.  
  
Hermione marched up to the library, noting the place was almost deserted, apart form Madame Pince, of course, and a handful of night owls. Hermione made her way down to the Arcane section, figuring it would be the best place to start searching for rare or forgotten spells...her instincts told her the spell Harry had described sounded suspiciously like something that would not be out of place in the Ancient Magic sub-topics.  
  
As she passed the reading lounge, she saw a solitary figure in a large divan facing the fireplace, a large book splayed open across the armrests. But she couldn't tell who was there, as the chair's tall back obscured the person sitting therein.  
  
She continued down the rows of bookshelves. As she passed the second last row she spied out of the corner of her eye a dark shape sitting at the reading table in the aisle, near the window. She stopped to get a better look, quickly recognizing the familiar form. Luna's presence surprised her, as she'd assumed the young Ravenclaw had retired to the her dormitory for the night.  
  
Hermione moving closer, noting how Luna was sitting with her arms crossed on the table, her head buried therein, her long dirty blonde hair looking very unkempt and falling to either side of her.  
  
Hermione hesitated for a moment...something seemed odd to her. She slowly made her way down to the end of the aisle, quietly taking a seat next to the Ravenclaw's.  
  
"Luna?" said Hermione gently, placing her hand delicately on Luna's shoulder, noting it was trembling slightly. "Are you okay?"  
  
Silence ensued for several moments, before Luna finally spoke in a hushed voice.  
  
"Oh...yes, I'm quite well, thank you," Luna said without stirring, but her shaky voice told Hermione that was far from the case.  
  
Hermione leaned her head down on the table next to Luna's. "Hey...Harry told me what happened in the forest," she said softly. "That was the spell, wasn't it? The one your mum was using when..."  
  
Luna raised her head from her arms and looked at her, the telltale stains of dried tears on her cheeks hitting Hermione like a bludger.  
  
"Oh, yes, actually," she said in an unconvincing attempt at a conversational tone. "She experimented with that particular one quite often, you know. She was becoming rather good at it too, but..."  
  
Hermione winced. No wonder Luna was so distraught. Her heart sank as she saw the Ravenclaw straighten up in her chair, attempting to project some semblance of normalcy, which, for Luna, was unusual enough. "She experimented with many variations of it, as you might imagine," said Luna, her every word quivering. "The last one, didn't quite work out as she'd expected - "  
  
Luna took a deep breath, which sounded rather ragged to Hermione, looking at her intently, her large silver eyes staring at Hermione almost pleadingly. "Mum made me promise never to use those spells, you know..." Her voice was becoming heartbreakingly hoarse.  
  
"But...I had to...I couldn't just...just let..." she bit her lip sharply as Hermione saw a flow of tears welling up in her eyes. Luna quickly turned around and bent over, covering her face with her hands, which Hermione noticed were shaking.  
  
Hermione couldn't take it any more. Her own eyes welling up with tears, she leaned forward and hugged the young Ravenclaw, who finally broke down and collapsed into her arms, shaking terribly with grief. Hermione's heart sank even lower as she felt the anguish coursing through the younger girl. She couldn't imagine anything more traumatic for Luna than having to recall her mother's death while at the same being forced into a situation where she had to break a solemn promise she'd made to her as a child.  
  
Luna cried for several minutes, at one point Hermione catching sight of Madam Pince's reflection in the window, standing behind them. She'd evidently been searching for the source of Luna's weeping, quiet though she was. At first glance, her stern face made Hermione fear for a moment that she was going to kick them out of the library, though after catching sight of Luna's sorry state her expression softened a little; she hesitated a few moments, seeming to consider the situation, before leaving quietly without saying a word.  
  
Hermione felt powerless to help her friend, knowing that nothing she could say would make up for the sadness Luna was experiencing. She was getting a definite sensation that Luna was releasing years of pent-up anguish...  
  
Eventually Luna drew back and looked at Hermione with her silvery eyes, which now had a reddish hue. "Thank you," she said softly. "I suppose...I needed that. Mum died so unexpectedly, you know, it was so very hard on Daddy...I had to be strong for his sake..."  
  
Hermione stared at Luna with a mixture of sympathy and awe, upon the realization that Luna had shouldered an inordinate amount of grief following her mother's death out of adoration and protectiveness of her father.  
  
"Luna," said Hermione, "I think your mum would have been proud of what you did back there, in the forest, don't you"? Do you really think she'd have wanted you to keep that promise today, if it meant your life?"  
  
Luna stared at the table, seeming so lost to Hermione's eyes. After several long moments she finally drew up and looked a little better.  
  
"I...I suppose not," she said. "When I was little she often told me those spells were quite hazardous, you know. That's why she made me promise not to use them..."  
  
"To protect you," said Hermione, hoping Luna would make the connection.  
  
They stared at each other for several moments, when Hermione thought she detected a flicker of Luna's old self in her large silver eyes. "I imagine she would have been quite happy to see her spell succeed then," she said, her voice becoming stronger and less wavering than before.  
  
Hermione smiled. "I think she would have," she said.  
  
"Well," Luna said, slowly regaining her dreamy composure, "I really should go and send Daddy an owl..."  
  
She got to her feet and made for the library. At the entrance to the aisle she paused a moment, looking back at Hermione. "Thank you, Hermione," she said sincerely.  
  
Hermione smiled at her. "What are friends for?"  
  
Luna stared at her, Hermione thinking she saw her silvery eyes becoming misty again for a moment, before Luna smiled at her, and was gone.  
  
Hermione sighed and looked at the bookshelves on either side of her. Strangely, the thought of digging through these old tomes looking for Luna's spell no longer held much attraction.  
  
* * *  
  
Ginny glanced at Colin Creevy at the table ahead of her with growing irritation. He kept looking around at the other students in the classroom and scribbling something in his notebook.  
  
Ginny leaned closer to Luna, who was sitting next to her, serenely making what appeared to be a bracelet of acorns. "What's he playing at, I wonder?" she whispered.  
  
"I imagine," said Luna dreamily, without taking her eyes off her half completed bracelet, "He's likely making a list of everyone who sits together. I heard Padma saying he's working on creating a school newsletter, you know. I suppose," she said, waving her hand around the class, "he's keeping track of who talks to who to establish a list of gossip contacts."  
  
Ginny looked back at Colin, who was now looking down the second row and making notes. Colin making a newsletter? He'd better not make up stories about me, she thought warningly.  
  
"Well," said Ginny, "at least he's not going around flashing that Muggle camera in people's faces anymore."  
  
"Daddy said it's a good idea," said Luna, delicately fitting another acorn onto the double-twisted string she was carefully weaving. Ginny saw some of the other students glancing at Luna, a few pointing and giggling. She tried her best to ignore it but part of her was nevertheless fuming.  
  
"He did?" asked Ginny distractedly, wondering if Luna was even aware of the others making fun of her. She marvelled how Luna could so easily tune everything out and immunize herself to the endless taunts and ridicule. Herself, she couldn't help but scowl at one of the Ravenclaw girls in the next row, who was doing some of the more overt mocking.  
  
Luna nodded serenely. "He says it's always a good idea for people to be kept informed of important developments." She glanced at Ginny while reaching for another acorn, "I don't think many people trust the Daily Prophet anymore."  
  
"Well I suppose that's true," said Ginny. "But then, the Prophet and Colin's newsletter aren't exactly going to compete over the same news stories."  
  
Ginny and most of the class jumped on their stools as the large heavy door to the Potions classroom opened suddenly and hit the wall with a resounding bang. Professor Snape walked smoothly but quickly to the front of the class, his dark robes billowing behind him. Luna, on the other hand, showed no sign of realizing the Potions Master had arrived, contentedly continuing to fasten another acorn to her bracelet.  
  
Colin quickly put his notepad away. The chatter of the preceding minutes abruptly turned into nervous silence. Snape looked around the darkened classroom with a cold stare, his eyes coming to rest on Luna, who was still serenely stringing acorns. Ginny's anxiety rose sharply. She tried kicking Luna's foot under the table but only managed to bump the leg of her stool.  
  
Snape slowly and ominously moved down the steps from his desk and behind Colin (who hadn't dared turn to watch), and came to stand directly before Luna, his icy stare apparently lost on her. After several moments she noticed his shadow fall across her table, staring up at him innocently.  
  
"Are we enjoying our little crafts, Miss Lovegood?" said Snape slowly, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Ginny held her breath.  
  
"Oh, yes," answered Luna dreamily. "Don't mind me, though. I'll stop as soon as class starts."  
  
Ginny grimaced, closing her eyes tightly. Wrong answer, she thought.  
  
"Class starts the moment I enter the room, Ms. Lovegood," said Snape darkly, raising an eyebrow before turning abruptly and walking back to his desk. "You have delayed the start of class. Five points from Gryffindor."  
  
Ginny's eyes popped open. She head a general rustling through the classroom along with several murmurs. Did anyone dare say anything...?  
  
Snape snapped back around and gave no sign he had noticed. His dark eyes turned back to Luna, who had her arm raised. "Yes, Miss Lovegood?" he asked impatiently.  
  
"I'm in Ravenclaw, actually," said Luna serenely. Ginny heard low moans coming from the Ravenclaws on the other side of the room.  
  
Snape frowned for a moment, his eyes dropping to her Ravenclaw crest. He looked over to Luna's housemates, whom were all sitting on the far side of the classroom. He turned back to her. "Thank you for pointing out my error, Miss Lovegood," he said in a low voice. "Ten points from Ravenclaw then." More low groans drifted from the far side.  
  
Luna raised her hand again. Ginny quickly took it and pulled it back down, Luna frowning at her.  
  
Snape paid no attention. He looked over the classroom. "As your inaugural task for fifth year, you will prepare a Strengthening Solution, which I described to you last Friday. Some of the ingredients are quite exotic, so if any of you mess up your preparations," he said menacingly, "you will get no second chance."  
  
As if we ever get second chances anyway, Ginny thought, setting her cauldron on the table before her, Luna doing likewise. Snape turned his back to the class and waved his wand at the wall. "This is the list of ingredients you will require," he said as the words instantly appeared on the board. "Do not," he said firmly as he turned back to face the students, "use any metallic tools to handle the Aqua Fortis, use only your glass receptacles."  
  
The students set themselves to preparing the brew, which Ginny recognized as being much more complex than any they'd made the previous year. Clearly Snape wasn't wasting any time getting them on track for their O.W.L.S.  
  
Fifteen minutes had gone by and they still weren't even halfway through the intricate process. Ginny was adding a spoonful of shredded boomslang skin to her brew when she detected Luna humming "Weasley is our King" softly under her breath. Ginny couldn't suppress a smile, knowing how Ron still hated that tune, even after it had become Gryffindor's victory song. Luna glanced at the blackboard then drifted over to the side cupboards, bringing back a jar of crushed scarab beetles. After adding the darkly-coloured powder in the specified minute increments, she put the jar next to her friend's cauldron, as Ginny was almost ready to add her own. Ginny smiled and reached for the jar, noticing at that moment Luna staring, seemingly transfixed, at the board behind Snape, who was sitting at his desk, slowly scanning back and forth to detect any potential disasters in the making. Her melodic humming had come to an abrupt halt.  
  
"What is it?" whispered Ginny, looking back at the board, thinking that perhaps Luna couldn't make out what was written, or that maybe Snape was obscuring part of it. Ginny could see it clearly from her angle, though. "It says pureed Jobberknoll feathers, Luna."  
  
At that, Luna's hand shot up sharply. Ginny almost dropped her jar. "Luna!" she whispered harshly. "What is it??"  
  
But Luna didn't seem to have heard, or at least gave no indication she had. Snape had glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but had quickly shifted his gaze to the other side of the class. Seeing this, Luna began waving her outstretched hand back and forth in wider and wider arcs, making quite a spectacle. Ginny quickly added her crushed beetle powder, spooning it in more hastily than she should have, then rushed to the cupboard and found a jar of the pureed Jobberknoll feathers, which she immediately brought back to the table and put in front of Luna. "Here!" she whispered in her ear. "This is the next ingredient, Luna, right here, look...put your hand down, for heaven's sake, you're going to get in trouble again..."  
  
But by now some of the students had started taking notice of Luna's attempts to get the Potions teacher's attention, and the distraction was becoming too great even for Snape to ignore, as he finally turned an irritated gaze to Luna. "You have a question, Miss Lovegood?" he asked curtly.  
  
But Luna seemed to take no notice of his tone, as she stared back at him unblinkingly with those luminous silver eyes. "Excuse me, professor," she said in her dreamy voice, "But we cant use pureed Jobberknoll feathers...isn't there something we can substitute?"  
  
Snape's eyebrows went up as his eyes widened dangerously. "Substitute?" he said, in what to Ginny sounded like an honestly shocked voice. "Substitute, Miss Lovegood?"  
  
He stood up and was slowly making his way towards their table, Ginny desperately reaching for the jar of Jobberknoll feathers, intending to add it to Luna's potion herself, but Luna quickly grabbed it and moved it to the far end of the table, out of reach.  
  
"Yes," said Luna simply, without the slightest indication she had committed an unspeakable faux pas.  
  
Snape was now standing right in front of them, crossing his arms. The entire class had stopped working on their potions, everyone staring at the rapidly brewing confrontation.  
  
His voice held a sinister edge that Ginny had learned to beware, as it always preceded some kind of severe punishment. "One does not...'substitute'...ingredients in making potions, Miss Lovegood."  
  
"But Professor," continued Luna, her large eyes still staring up at him, "I've read an article about Jobberknolls this past summer, they've been designated an endangered species, you know."  
  
Ginny closed her eyes as her head dropped. No, No, No, she thought.  
  
Snape looked down stonily at Luna. "Have they, now?" he said icily.  
  
Luna nodded vigorously. "The Confederation for the Protection of Endangered Magical Creatures said so," she said airily. "It was in The Quibbler."  
  
Snape slowly uncrossed his arms, his appearance frightfully menacing. "You are not to bring up that ridiculous rag in this class ever again, Miss Lovegood, is that understood?" He said, snapping his head sharply in the direction of a giggling Ravenclaw. The giggling stopped abruptly.  
  
Luna was looking at Snape, her silver eyes wide, mouth open, her normally surprised expression replaced by one of shock. Ginny knew that one could ridicule Luna to no end without any consequences, but to take a shot at her father...  
  
Snape turned and walked back to the front of the class without looking back at them.  
  
"Why you...you..." Luna looked furious, having gotten up off her stool, the dreaminess in her voice conspicuously absent. Ginny quickly took her wand out of her robes and pointed it at Luna under the table.  
  
"Silencio," she muttered under her breath with one hand covering her mouth.  
  
Snape spun around, glaring at Luna. "Yes, Miss Lovegood?"  
  
Luna opened her mouth, her body trembling with fury. She went to speak but was startled by the resulting silence. For a moment her look of anger gave way to one of surprise and she tried speaking again, to no better effect.  
  
A look of realization crossed her face as frowned at Ginny and stomped her foot loudly on the floor, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.  
  
Ginny avoided her angry stare, raising her eyebrows and looking sheepish while staring at the ancient and pockmarked surface texture of her cauldron.  
  
"Well," said Snape with as close a thing to an amused voice Ginny had ever heard him use, "I never thought I'd see the day when a Weasley would make oneself useful." He seemed to hesitate a moment and looked at Luna with something approaching a smirk, "Five points to Gryffindor," he said.  
  
Ginny raised her eyes and met Luna's, a very apologetic look on her face. Luna gave her an extremely frustrated shake of the head, hair flying, and sat back heavily on her stool, staring angrily into her cauldron.  
  
I'll make it up to you, Ginny thought to herself, as they resumed brewing their potions in silence. 


	5. Luna's Year, Part V

Harry was seriously contemplating capturing Neville's bishop, looking around the board for any possible countermoves when his attention was diverted by the muffled sounds of a rather loud argument drifting into the room from just beyond the Fat Lady's portrait.  
  
The painting swung open, both he and Neville glancing over to see Hermione leading Ron through the narrow entrance hallway into the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione, Harry noticed, had an extremely irritated look on her face.  
  
"I can't believe you won't take your job more seriously, Ron," she said reproachfully, whirling around to face him once they were clear of the hallway. "You never said a word back there!"  
  
"It was Pansy Parkinson!" said Ron in exasperation. "What'd you expect, we all knew she had it coming!"  
  
Hermione dropped her books on the small table next to an armchair. "Just because she's a Slytherin doesn't mean it's all right for someone to jinx her, Ron!"  
  
Harry and Neville looked at each other. "Somebody jinxed Pansy Parkinson?!" said Neville with a gleeful expression on his face.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Harry.  
  
Hermione sat down heavily in an armchair near the fire, her brown eyes still hot with anger. She took a deep breath. "We were in the study hall. Pansy Parkinson was making some her usual snide remarks about Seamus and leprechauns and other nonsense - "  
  
"Nonsense?" said Ron in shock, dropping his bag to the floor. "She called him a 'bloody Irishman' Harry!"  
  
"Anyway," continued Hermione irritably, "Seamus jinxed her by turning her hair a horrible glowing shade of green, of course I had to stop it, Harry. It might've gotten out of control!"  
  
"She put him on report Harry, went and told McGonagall!" exclaimed Ron.  
  
Harry was now beginning to wish he hadn't asked. He was getting the feeling that he was being expected to take sides on the issue, something he was determined to avoid.  
  
"Oh Ron, come off it!" said Hermione rather loudly. "We're prefects, for heaven's sake! You always look the other way when it's another Gryffindor!"  
  
"But Malfoy does the same for the Slytherins!" riposted Ron just as loudly. Harry slowly turned his gaze to Neville, who was now staring hard at the chessboard, the escalating argument making them both wish they were anywhere but there.  
  
"That doesn't justify anything!" said Hermione shrilly. "Just because Malfoy sinks into corruption doesn't mean you have to go and do the same! Grow up, Ron!"  
  
"Aargh!" said Ron loudly, pulling at his hair. "Corrupt, am I? That's it! You're hopeless!"  
  
With that, he stormed up the bluestone stairs to the boys dormitory, leaving his bag on the floor.  
  
Harry looked to Hermione, who'd now crossed her arms and sank down into the depths of her chair, staring into the fire with flushed cheeks.  
  
"You okay, Hermione?" he asked.  
  
For several moments she said nothing, continuing to focus her glare into the flickering embers before finally stirring. "He left me to the wolves, Harry! Instead of presenting a united front he pretended he didn't know what was going on. Some Prefect he turned out to be..."  
  
"Oh..." said Harry, trying to think of a way to comfort her without making it sound like he was taking sides. "Um..."  
  
"Hey, Hermione, I, uh, got five points for Gryffindor today in Charms...amazing isn't it?" said Neville said, trying to sound cheerful.  
  
"That's nice, Neville," said Hermione, without turning her gaze from the fire. They descended into awkward silence, only the muted murmurs of a group of second years behind them mingled with the crackling flames permeating the room.  
  
Hermione grabbed one of her books from the table. Harry noticed that she was flipping through the pages rather quickly and distractedly, certainly she wasn't reading. He tried to divert his attention back to the game, but found it very hard to regain his concentration. What had he been looking at before? His knight?  
  
He and Neville both jumped, startled by Hermione closing her book with a loud snap.  
  
"Oh, this is useless!" she said angrily, quickly gathering the rest of her books and storming off up the spiral staircase.  
  
Neville looked at Harry, his eyebrows raised.  
  
* * *  
  
The next several days saw the rift between Ron and Hermione escalate dangerously in intensity, rather than diminish. Neither one had said a word to the other, even when seated at the Gryffindor table together in the Great Hall. They'd even ended up patrolling the school separately after curfew, instead of together, as was their usual custom.  
  
This was all serving to make Harry increasingly uncomfortable around his friends, to the point where he was beginning to wonder if his decision to let sleeping dogs lie had been the right one, especially as the dogs in question only seemed to be getting more rabid by the day. But he was more determined than ever to avoid taking sides, which is what he feared his intervention might trigger. He tried broaching the subject with each of them individually, but both were so adamant they were in the right that he quickly dropped the matter.  
  
Their estrangement reached a new level that Friday during dinner in the Great Hall, when Ron rolled his eyes and quickly left the table at Hermione's approach.  
  
This is getting out of hand, Harry thought, his frustration with the two of them becoming increasingly difficult to contain. Their intransigence was beginning to do some real damage, he sensed. They had to bury the hatchet, and soon.  
  
Hermione stopped in her tracks as she saw Ron march off to the far end of the Gryffindor table, having made no attempt to disguise his re\ason for leaving. She seemed about to call out to Ron for a moment, a deeply hurt look on her face. After a moment's hesitation she bit her lip and turned on her heels, and stormed out of the Great Hall.  
  
Ginny had observed the entire proceedings too. "Are they ever going to start talking?" she asked, "This is getting bad, Harry."  
  
"I know," said Harry worriedly. "But they just won't talk about it. Not with me, anyway; I've never seen them so stubborn..."  
  
* * *  
  
Late that afternoon after his last class of the day, Ron decided to let off some steam with some solo flying practice on the Quidditch Pitch. He hadn't bothered to book it; if there was someone practising he'd simply go elsewhere. He wanted to be anywhere but the Gryffindor Common Room these days.  
  
Carrying his broomstick over his shoulder, he made his way through the inner courtyard, the castle's main entrance looming ahead, when he heard a familiar voice chime up near him.  
  
"Hello, Ronald."  
  
He turned to see Luna Lovegood, sitting atop the waist-high wall between two of the large white stone columns that intermittently surrounded the courtyard. Her feet were dangling loosely over the edge, her ever-present copy of The Quibbler in her hands, though, as Ron noted, it was right side up for once.  
  
"Hey, Luna," said Ron dully, waving vaguely at her without pausing, determined to avoid a conversation with the bizarre Ravenclaw.  
  
His stomach tightened as glimpsed her quickly jumping off her perch, running to catch up with him. He groaned. He was in no mood for chit-chat, least of all with "Loony" Luna Lovegood.  
  
"I'll walk with you," she said in her dreamy voice.  
  
"You don't even know where I'm going," shot back Ron, picking up the pace.  
  
Luna matched him step for step, her trailing, waist-length dirty blonde fluttering uncontrollably behind her. "Well it seems pretty obvious, actually," she said, pointing at his broomstick. "You're going to the Pitch."  
  
Ron sighed. "Fine," he said, too tired to make up excuses.  
  
They walked side by side for a while, neither one uttering so much as a word.  
  
Come on, thought Ron, give me one of your Snork-thingy stories so I can bite your head off, anything! He was in no mood for her company and was just looking for a reason to tell her off.  
  
After walking for awhile longer though, Ron's hopes of reaching the pitch without having to engage in Luna's idle chatter began to rise. He could see the playing field looming closer, clearly visible in the angled rays of late afternoon sunlight; it appeared deserted. Excellent, he thought, as his stride picked up with renewed vigour.  
  
"You're hurting Hermione, you know," said Luna dreamily out of the blue, still managing to keep up with him.  
  
Ron stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at her. That was not what he'd expected to hear; he'd been bracing himself for some ludicrous tale of Blubbering Something-or-others...  
  
"How would you know?" said Ron irately. "And what's your business in it, anyway?"  
  
"Ginny told me," said Luna airily, taking no notice of Ron's rudeness, her large silver eyes staring at him in that intense manner that unsettled him so. "She was crying last night in the girls' dormitory."  
  
Ron blinked. "She...she did?" he asked, stunned at this bit of unexpected news.  
  
Luna nodded. "She's quite upset," she said serenely.  
  
Ron's face flushed. "Yeah, but you weren't there, you didn't see what happened - "  
  
He stopped abruptly. Luna was staring at him so intently, her eyes seemingly boring right into him, to his great consternation.  
  
"That doesn't matter, Ron," she said softly, almost reproachfully. His mouth opened slightly; she'd never called him Ron before. "She's your best friend, you know. With Harry, of course."  
  
Ron's mouth hung open, at a loss for an adequate reply. There was a simple, undeniable truth to what Luna had said, to which there could be no valid argument.  
  
She was staring at him very seriously. "You'll both be very sad if you throw all that away, you know."  
  
"But...I'm the one who stood up for Gryffindor...our own House, for crying...she didn't even..." stammered Ron, though that argument was beginning to sound less and less convincing, even to his own ears.  
  
She tilted her head slightly and continued gazing unblinkingly into his eyes. "It makes no difference, you know," she said quietly, "Who was right and who was wrong. Mum told me it's the choices we make that really make us who we are, though I think she got that from an old mentor of hers, really...anyway, you have two choices, Ron...to keep Hermione's friendship, or not."  
  
She was still staring at Ron, her large pale eyes seemingly opening his own as well. They stood in silence for several moments, Luna gazing up at him expectantly.  
  
"Yeah," said Ron at last, "I guess...I guess you're right, Luna." For some reason he didn't feel the need to argue the matter any longer, for her words had hit home. It was, after all, a silly little argument in the first place that had caused such a gaping rift between him and Hermione; waiting for her to apologize now seemed so trivial and unimportant, somehow...  
  
He looked back at her; she was smiling slightly.  
  
"Well," she said airily, "I think I'll go get some pudding. I'll see you later, Ronald!"  
  
With that, she turned, her copy of The Quibbler rolled up in one hand and made her way back towards the castle, a visible spring in her step, her long hair flouncing along happily.  
  
Ron watched her go, a newfound appreciation for Luna dawning within him. She does make sense...sometimes, he thought to himself. He turned and looked back towards the Pitch. There's no one to practice with anyway, he told himself with a sigh, as he shouldered his broomstick once more and slowly made his way back to the castle.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry was startled to see Ron and Hermione come back from their prefect's duties together that night, and giggling besides that. He glanced back to Neville, who was looking at them with an equally bemused expression.  
  
"What's up with you two?" asked Harry, grinning. "You both seem to be in a good mood all of a sudden!"  
  
Hermione smiled at him. "Oh...everything's fine, Harry," she said, coming to sit by the fire with them. "In fact, we, er, helped unruffle some of Seamus' feathers, you might say." She had an unusually mischievous look in her eyes that was not lost on Harry.  
  
"What?" asked Neville asked eagerly. "What'd you do?"  
  
Hermione seemed caught halfway between laughter and embarrassment, sinking further down into the chair, both hands covering her mouth. "Oh, we really shouldn't have done that, Ron," she said, her voice punctuated with giddiness. Despite her voiced misgivings, Harry got the feeling that she wouldn't undo whatever they'd done for the world. "We are prefects, after all."  
  
"But of course," said Ron, doing his best 'stiff upper lip' imitation. "We really must set a good example for the others, mustn't we, Miss Granger?"  
  
He walked stiffly and formally to the chair opposite her, holding one arm regally behind his back. He stopped and nodded down to both Harry and Neville. "Cheerio, old chaps!"  
  
At that, Hermione burst into laughter, turning to bury her face into the chairs' plush padding in a vain attempt to suppress her mirth. Several students at the back of the room glanced over in her direction.  
  
Harry and Neville looked at each other, confused grins reflected on each other's faces.  
  
* * *  
  
The month had drawn to a close on what Harry surmised might well have been the best September he'd ever experienced at Hogwarts. Although the schoolwork was heavy as usual, the knowledge that no O.W.L.S. awaited him at year's end made for a much less stressful environment. Also, there had been no disasters all month, with Voldemort seemingly keeping quiet, and as a bonus he'd begun practising Quidditch again, with the first match of the season, against Hufflepuff, only days away.  
  
Harry arrived in the Great Hall with Hermione, strolling over to where Ron, Ginny and Neville were sitting together at the Gryffindor table. They'd just had time to take their seats when he heard Professor McGonagall chiming the students into silence, tapping the rim of her glass with her spoon. The hall quickly hushed.  
  
Dumbledore stood up, his clear blue eyes twinkling in the brightly candlelit hall. "I know many of you are eagerly waiting to fill the voids in your stomachs, however before we begin the feast," he said, "I have a few announcements to make."  
  
Harry listened attentively. Normally the Headmaster made such announcements at the start of term, or if there was something really important to disseminate. It wouldn't be one of Filch's additions to the prohibited pranks list, Harry thought.  
  
"Firstly, I must announce that the year's first trip to Hogsmeade, scheduled for next weekend, has been cancelled." At that, the hall burst forth in murmurs and groans, as all had looked forward to the traditional outing to the Wizarding village. Harry looked around, everyone seeming to be as disappointed as was. McGonagall took her spoon and made to tap her glass, but Dumbledore waved her off, standing patiently, his fingertips joined together, and waited for the hall to gradually quieten down again.  
  
"Secondly, I therefore announce that, as a school treat, there will be a trip to Hogsmeade village this weekend."  
  
The Great Hall erupted in cheers. Harry and Ron looked at each other with grins, having gone through the whole gamut of emotions from disappointment and glee in a matter of seconds. "Trust Dumbledore to do things in style!" Ron said.  
  
Once again, Dumbledore waited patiently for the hubbub to die down. "I must ask you all," he said, more seriously, "To keep this to yourselves. After discussing the matter with the Ministry, I have decided to move up the trip to Hogsmeade by a week in the interests of security, and consequently, no owls will be permitted to leave Hogwarts this night. This year, most of your teachers will be accompanying you, and as well, the Ministry has made available a good number of Aurors to provide additional assurance."  
  
He looked down the long hall, a sea of happy faces shining back at him despite his caution. "Well then...tuck in! With that, he waved his hands, the traditional cornucopia of food materializing on the long tables from the kitchens below.  
  
During the feast there was much talk about the upcoming outing. "I'm going to Honeydukes and stock up on a month's supply of Bertie Bott's Every Flavoured Beans!" said Neville gleefully. "I ran out way too soon last time!"  
  
"Well, I think I'll stop at Scrivenshaft," said Hermione. "I could really use another quill. Actually I should get a few spares while I'm at it, really."  
  
"Another quill?" asked Ron. "You got a brand new one last year, didn't you?"  
  
"It's worn out," answered Hermione. "Maybe I should get a different quill for each day of the week, that way I won't have to replace them nearly as much. What are you going to do, Harry?" she asked interestedly.  
  
"I think I'll have a go at a few butterbeers," said Harry, glancing at the teacher's table at the far end of the hall as Hagrid was making his way to his seat.  
  
"Mmmm, butterbeer," said Ron, relishing the thought out loud. "You can count me in on that, mate."  
  
After the feast they decided to take to the library and pack in as much homework as they could, seeing as they wouldn't have the opportunity again during the coming weekend. Ron volunteered to retrieve their notebooks and quills from the Common Room.  
  
Harry and Hermione were walking along the main hall towards the staircase at the far end that led up to the second floor, when a resounding crash rang out. That's from the second floor, Harry mused. They looked at each other for a moment and broke out into a run, making for the staircase. A few other students in the hall had heard the crash as well, watching them curiously.  
  
They'd just ran up a few steps on the staircase when they came to a halt, seeing the floating figure of Peeves the Poltergeist gliding down towards them, an expression of sheer delight on his wide, malevolent face. He stopped, hovering, right before them, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"Oh looky, it's Potty and Grangy," mocked Peeves, pointing at them both with his arms crossed. "Running in the halls, are we?"  
  
"Um...hello, Peeves," Harry said cautiously. "We were just... coming to investigate that noise." He glanced at Hermione, who nodded vigorously in agreement.  
  
"Ooohh that," said Peeves knowingly, an obviously false look of concern replacing his mischievous grin. "You should see it, it looks something awful!"  
  
"What?" asked Hermione, eyes widening, "What looks awful?"  
  
Peeves instantly diverted his attention to her, floating just inches away from her face. "Wouldn't pay attention to me, it wouldn't!" he said, a shocked expression on his glowing face. "Had to do it, I did!"  
  
With that, Peeves shot past them down the stairs, cackling madly.  
  
They looked at each other for a moment before rushing to the second floor. The sight that greeted them made them both stop in their tracks, gaping open-mouthed at the approaching figure.  
  
Luna was strolling slowly towards them, virtually covered from head to toe in a dark, purplish goo that to Harry smelled like cranberries. A large ceramic bowl lay smashed on the floor partway down the hall, the telltale pieces of pottery scattered about indicating the spot Peeves had struck.  
  
"Oh, hello," said Luna vaguely, only noticing their presence. She made to move around them.  
  
"Luna, wait!" said Hermione. "Holy cricket, what happened??"  
  
Luna stared at her for a moment as if not understanding the question.  
  
"Oh...well, I was reading, actually," she said at last, raising her hopelessly stained copy of The Quibbler. "I suppose I was being rather rude by ignoring him, but there was this very interesting article on Krakens, you know..."  
  
She flipped through the virtually illegible paper. "Well, it's in here somewhere, I know...I'll show after I get it cleaned up."  
  
Other than looking very forlorn, she gave no sign of being upset at being covered in sticky goo; indeed, she seemed almost unaware of it, though Harry knew that was highly improbable.  
  
"Why don't you just scourgify yourself, Luna?" he asked.  
  
"Oh," she said, waving one hand sadly towards the stairs, "Well, he took my wand just before dropping that bowl on me, actually. I really don't know where he took it. Anyway, I'd better go wash up, I was really hoping to get some pudding later."  
  
"Well, we have our wands," suggested Hermione, drawing hers from her robes.  
  
"Oh, no, that's all right," Luna smiled at her. "I'll just go get cleaned up and get some pudding before the feast is over."  
  
She seemed thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose I should go write an owl to Daddy; I really need another wand, I have Transfiguration and Charms on Monday."  
  
Harry and Hermione looked at each other.  
  
"Um, there's no owls leaving tonight, Luna," said Hermione said, realizing Luna hadn't been present during Dumbledore's announcement. "I guess you haven't heard, the trip to Hogsmeade was moved up to tomorrow, and Professor Dumbledore doesn't want any owls leaving the school tonight, for security."  
  
"Oh," said Luna dreamily. "Well, I can go to the post office there, then. Are you going to the Three Broomsticks?" she asked dreamily, staring at the two of them. Other students were beginning to make their way up the staircase in curiosity, stopping to laugh and point at Luna.  
  
"Yeah actually, you should come, Luna," said Harry, feeling intensely sorry for the girl, even though she gave no hint of embarrassment. His talk with Luna at the end of the previous year had made Harry feel a bit protective of her, even though she seemed perfectly at ease with her lot in life.  
  
Luna smiled dreamily at them, before proceeding down the stairs out of sight. The students coming up openly giggled at her as she drifted by.  
  
"That's awful," said Hermione, turning to Harry. "Peeves does some mean pranks, but I've never heard of him stealing things before!"  
  
"Why would Peeves want her wand, anyway?" asked Harry. He spied a small shape at the far end of the hall. It had stopped near the shattered ceramics strewn about the floor near the library's entrance. It was Mrs. Norris.  
  
"I don't know..." said Hermione softly. "But I'm going to get it back."  
  
They quickly marched back down the stairs, determined not to get blamed for the mess by Filch's cat.  
  
"Where are you going?" asked Harry asked as they descended the staircase into the main hall.  
  
"There's only one person in Hogwarts that can control Peeves," said Hermione, walking with an air of determination towards the Great Hall.  
  
"You mean the Bloody Baron??" asked Harry incredulously. "You're going to actually ask him?"  
  
Hermione looked over at Harry as they passed Justin Finch-Fletchley heading in the other direction. "No, silly," she said with a smile. "Professor Flitwick is the head of Ravenclaw House, so I'll ask him to ask Professor Snape to ask the Bloody Baron to have Peeves give Luna's wand back."  
  
Harry chuckled at that. "Oh," he said. "Is that all? There's a lot of 'ifs' there, Hermione...I mean why bring Snape into it at all?"  
  
"Well, the Bloody Baron is the ghost of Slytherin House, isn't he?" said Hermione, turning to face Harry. "And besides, Snape seems to be one of the few people that doesn't seem frightened to talk to him."  
  
Harry thought about that. "Yeah I guess."  
  
"Don't worry," Hermione smiled reassuringly. "We'll get her wand back. Why don't you go meet Ron in the library in a little while, tell him I'll be right along."  
  
"Right." Harry smiled at her as she marched on towards the rapidly emptying Great Hall. 


	6. Luna's Year, Part VI

The following morning found the students crowded outside among the carriages in preparation for the ride to Hogsmeade village, Harry and Ron searching through the throng of students in search of Hermione. It was a chilly mid-October morning, cold enough that most had brought along their scarves and had bundled up appropriately. Harry could see the misty vapours rising wistfully in the air whenever someone spoke.  
  
"I don't think she's here yet," said Harry said at last.  
  
"Let's wait over there," suggested Ron, pointing to the castle entrance, "We'll catch her when she comes out."  
  
"Yeah, okay," agreed Harry, rubbing his hands together and starting to wish he'd brought his gloves along. They walked back up to the castle entrance and waited along the ancient wall.  
  
Harry looked back at the bustle of students scrambling into the black, Thestral-drawn coaches. He'd been surprised to see the familiar purple form of the Knight Bus there, looming conspicuously over the carriages, but with most of the staff coming along, there weren't enough carriages for everyone.  
  
"G'day, 'ere, Harry, Ron," said Hagrid, emerging from the courtyard. "Ye'd best get yourselves on a carriage, don't wan' te be left behind now, do ye? Yer all comin' to Hogsmeade right?"  
  
"Hi, Hagrid," answered Harry. "Yeah we are, we're just waiting around for Hermione."  
  
"Och, well then, ye won't be waitin' long," said Hagrid, pointing a thumb back over his shoulder. "She was in the hall 'ere talkin' to Professor Flitwick a minute ago." He strode over to the Knight Bus to talk to Professor McGonagall, Harry wondering if Hagrid would be able to squeeze himself through the bus' rather normal-sized door.  
  
"Harry! Ron!" Hermione's voice called out from behind them. Harry turned as she ran up to them, her face beaming. She waved a wand in front of them. "I've got it!" She said excitedly, "Compliments of Professor Flitwick!"  
  
Harry's spirits lifted. "Hermione, that's great! So it all worked out like you planned, then?"  
  
"Well, not quite," she admitted, "As it turns out, Peeves was in the Great Hall when I spoke to Flitwick. I was telling him what happened, and Professor Dumbledore was sitting right there, so..."  
  
Ron's eyes widened. "Whoah! Dumbledore got the wand back himself?" He looked gleefully to Harry. "I would have given a galleon or two just to see the look on Peeves' face! And we missed it!" "Well no, not exactly," Hermione continued. "Peeves saw me and left rather quickly. But anyway, Professor Dumbledore asked the Bloody Baron to talk to Peeves, and this morning Flitwick had it! He was going to give it back to Luna when she came out, but I asked him if I could."  
  
"Cool!" said Harry. "But I still wonder what Peeves did that for." Vandalism and pranks were Peeves modus operandi, theft was not in his character, as far as Harry knew.  
  
"Well you know Peeves," said Ron, "He never needs a reason to do anything now, does he?"  
  
"I suppose that's true," Harry conceded.  
  
"Look," said Hermione, pointing at the nearest carriage, "You two save us some seats, I'm go find Luna, I won't be long." She ran back into the courtyard.  
  
Harry moved to the unoccupied carriage Hermione had indicated, pulling Ron's arm so he didn't walk into the Thestral. Harry's ire rose sharply as they arrived at the carriage door at the same instant as Draco Malfoy and his ever-present cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, hulking menacingly behind him.  
  
"Where do you think you're going, Potter?" Malfoy sneered. "That's our carriage!"  
  
"That's the Hogwarts crest, Malfoy," Harry answered back, pointing to the carriage's door. "I don't see a sign that says 'Reserved for Slytherins'."  
  
He put his hand firmly on Ron's shoulder, as the red haired boy had taken a half step towards Malfoy. Getting into trouble now was not a wise move, Harry realized.  
  
"Let him go, Potter," said Malfoy, his two henchmen fanning out to either side of him. "Let's see what King Weasley here can do."  
  
Harry glanced over Draco's shoulder and saw Snape walking towards them. "Go get yourself another carriage, Malfoy," he said, trying his best not to draw attention to himself. Great, he thought, Snape's sure to give the carriage to Malfoy. He needed to get Malfoy away from there promptly.  
  
"You go get yourself another carriage, Potter!" Malfoy shot back, a sinister grin on his face, his two companions chuckling malevolently.  
  
Harry quickly shoved Ron away from the carriage and spun around, pointing at the Thestral, which he knew Draco couldn't see.  
  
"Thestral! I command you! Attack!!" He pointed straight at Malfoy.  
  
Malfoy hastily drew his wand, a look of apprehensive uncertainty on his face. Crabbe and Goyle took a hesitant step backwards. "You can't control those things, Potter!" spat Malfoy, "Just because you can see them doesn't mea - "  
  
There was a loud bang of hoof striking wood as the Thestral gave a lurch, the carriage getting a severe shaking in the process. "Attack!" ordered Harry again, pointing once more at Malfoy.  
  
"Yaagghh!" screamed Malfoy as the carriage lurched again, snow kicked up from the ground where the Thestral was bucking wildly. He almost ran over his two cronies, bolting past them in a panic. The two hulking Slytherins immediately followed Malfoy's lead, screaming as shrilly as their ringleader.  
  
Snape gave them a look of disgust as they ran, shrieking, past him. The Potions Master glared at Harry before reluctantly turning about and making his way back to the Knight Bus.  
  
Ron was beside himself with laughter. "Oh, blimey, Harry!" he said, wiping the tears out of his eyes. "How'd you manage that?"  
  
"Actually, I'm not really sure," admitted Harry, looking at the Thestral in bemusement, which had now inexplicably settled down peacefully once more.  
  
"Oy! Harry!"  
  
Harry heard Hagrid's gruff voice coming from the other side of the carriage. Harry peeked around the corner and saw the gamekeeper hunched behind the carriage, as inconspicuously as someone his size could manage.  
  
"I thought ye could use a hand," said Hagrid, smiling. "Just slap 'er backside like so and she'll tend to kick back...'course Malfoy couldn't see, but could hear jus' the same."  
  
Harry grinned up at him. "Thanks, Hagrid!"  
  
Hagrid winked at them and shuffled back to the Knight Bus.  
  
Harry and Ron scampered quickly up into the carriage in case anyone else tried to lay claim to it. More than once, they'd had to turn people back, telling them they were saving the other seats, but thankfully there were no more encounters with any obnoxious Slytherins.  
  
A few minutes later the door opened, admitting Hermione and Luna into the coach's cozy confines, as they took the empty seats opposite Ron and Harry.  
  
"Good morning," said Harry. "Hello," said Luna vaguely as she removed a pair of woolly yellow mittens that clashed terribly with the fuzzy pink earmuffs she was wearing. She placed her mittens on the seat next to her and pointed to the wand tucked in its traditional lace behind her ear.  
  
"Thank you, for this," she said, smiling dreamily. "Now I can get my own owl again, I didn't have had enough galleons to get both an owl and another wand, you know. And Daddy will be able to give Percival some rest...he is getting rather old."  
  
"Well, the main thing is that you've got your wand back," said Harry, smiling at her. "Any idea why Peeves would take it though?"  
  
Luna stared at him. "Well, it is rather an old wand," she said. "It belonged to my great-grandmother, Mum said...it's hickory, and it has a dragon's heart string and a unicorn's hair embedded, which makes it rather different from most..."  
  
Harry thought about that. As far as he knew, wands normally had one main element, he'd never heard of one with two...  
  
"I wonder..." said Hermione softly a few moments later.  
  
Harry looked at her. "What?"  
  
She hesitated, appearing pensive. "Well, it's probably not...no, it's nothing. Anyway, Luna," she said, pointing at the lightly stained copy of The Quibbler Luna had pulled out of her bag, "You did say you were going to show me that article on the Kraken, didn't you?"  
  
Harry blinked. He knew Hermione held little interest in Luna's fictitious creatures; he had the distinct impression that Hermione had an idea about the wand, but for whatever reason wasn't willing to discuss it here.  
  
Maybe she doesn't want to scare Luna? He mused, but then quickly discarded that theory upon glancing at the straggly-haired blonde across from him. Luna wasn't one to scare easily, if at all; the clash in the Department of Mysteries had certainly proven that.  
  
Maybe because I'm here? He thought, feeling his temper rising. He quickly forced himself to push the thought aside, though not without some difficulty. He decided to adopt a wait-and-see approach.  
  
Patience, Harry, he willed to himself.  
  
Luna was staring at him, holding The Quibbler open across her lap as Hermione was reading the Kraken article. "What?" she asked, a curious look in her silver eyes.  
  
"I didn't say anything," Harry replied quickly. Luna nodded serenely and drew back to her magazine. Had he been thinking out loud? He glanced over at Ron, but the redhead was observing the last stragglers through the coach's window.  
  
Ron then stretched out, his long arms bumping the cabin's ceiling. "Three Broomsticks, here I come," he yawned with a sleepy grin as their carriage lurched forward.  
  
Luna looked up at him, "You'll save me your butterbeer caps, won't you?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," said Ron. "Why, are you going to make yourself a matching bracelet?" He asked, laughing.  
  
Hermione glared at Ron, whose laugh quickly turned into an ungainly series of awkward coughs.  
  
"Are you all right?" asked Luna.  
  
"Yep, fine," said Ron quickly, whose eyes suddenly narrowed. "Hey...where is your necklace by the way?"  
  
Harry looked, surprised he hadn't noticed himself, but sure enough, Luna's familiar butterbeer cap necklace was missing.  
  
"Oh," said Luna as Hermione straightened up from reading The Quibbler, "It went missing last night, so if you two are going to gorge yourselves on butterbeers, I'll take the caps, if you don't mind."  
  
"Eh...sure, Luna," said Ron sombrely, evidently regretting his earlier jab at her.  
  
"I can't believe they're still doing that," said Harry hotly. "Why do they keep hiding your stuff?" His temper was rising dangerously.  
  
Luna stared at him vacantly, as if not understanding the question.  
  
Then Harry realized she'd explained all that to him last year. "Well," she said, "they seem to think I'm rather odd, you know. I suppose they were still upset at me for losing points for Ravenclaw in Potions class, too."  
  
Hermione looked strange. She was staring at the floor in front of her, but there was nothing there worth looking at that Harry could see.  
  
"Luna," she said at last, "Wasn't that necklace a gift from your mum?"  
  
"No," said Luna conversationally. "Actually, it was a present I made for her birthday. She didn't get to wear it very long though...I kept it after that." She then retreated back behind The Quibbler, holding it close to her face, trying to make out the words through the dried cranberry stains.  
  
This scarcely made Hermione feel any better. She looked at Harry, her eyes glittering and swallowing hard, trying to keep her emotions in check.  
  
The group went silent. Harry was feeling a rather despairing helplessness, angry as he was at those responsible for the theft, but also acutely aware that he wasn't a Ravenclaw, much less a girl, so there was little he could do about it, at least directly.  
  
They rode on, only the wooden creaking of the moving carriage permeating the cabin, until Harry heard Luna softly humming the familiar tune of "Weasley Is Our King" from behind her magazine. He looked at Ron, who rolled his eyes and shrugged.  
  
Well, he seems to be getting over that, at least, Harry thought.  
  
The humming was interrupted by a small giggle. "Pink bunny slippers..." Luna muttered giddily under her breath.  
  
Harry smiled.  
  
* * *  
  
They arrived in Hogsmeade a short while later. Hermione headed for Scrivenshaft's immediately, telling Harry to save her a place at the Three Broomsticks. Ron said he'd catch up with them later, as he went looking through the crowd in search of Ginny and Neville.  
  
"Well," said Luna dreamily, carefully tucking The Quibbler away in her bag, "I suppose I'll go see what they have in owls. I'll see you later, Harry." She smiled at him and turned to leave.  
  
"Luna, wait," said Harry. She turned around again. "I wanted to talk to you about something, but I wanted to wait till there wasn't anyone around...um...we can go inside, if you like?"  
  
She was staring at him, her permanently surprised look now truly appropriate. She nodded, still staring at him curiously. They then crossed the street to the bustle outside the entrance to the Three Broomsticks.  
  
Harry was surprised at the number of people already in the place when they entered. The little inn was a flurry of activity, but in the far corner a single small table still sat unoccupied. Turning to make sure Luna was still following, he led her to the small alcove. She took a seat to his left, looking at him attentively. "I wanted to ask you," said Harry, keeping his voice low to avoid being overheard, "How did you see me that night in the hallway with Filch? It was like I wasn't wearing an invisibility cloak at all." He waited for her reaction.  
  
Instead, all he got was an unblinking stare from two large, silvery eyes.  
  
"Er...Luna, are you okay?" He said at last.  
  
For one of the few times he could remember, Luna blinked. She nodded. "Oh, yes...well, I'm not really sure how to explain it, really," she said, her gaze dropping to the table, for once not meeting his eyes. Harry was getting the distinct impression she didn't want to discuss the matter.  
  
"It's okay," said Harry hastily, not wanting to upset her. "I'll just order us a couple of butterbeers, I - "  
  
"No, it's all right," said Luna, looking at him once more. "It's just that...well, some people are just born with it, Harry. Mum had it too..."  
  
"Had what?" asked Harry, his curiosity getting the better of him.  
  
She stared at him, her pale eyes exhibiting a seriousness he'd rarely seen before. She seemed hesitant, which in itself was so unusual for Luna.  
  
"Some...people can just see things for what they are, Harry..." she said softly. "I really wish I could explain it better. Mum was really quite good at it. You couldn't get anything past her at all..."  
  
She thought carefully. "But then, she had a really good mentor when she was growing up, you know; I think he helped her perfect it very well."  
  
Harry sat dumbfounded. "Wow," he said finally. "I didn't know."  
  
She smiled at him. "Well, it's not something I normally talk about," she said. "I've found it's more useful if people don't know..."  
  
Harry nodded, understanding quite well. He himself had wished that his own gift for speaking Parseltongue had been kept secret, the anxiety and frightened stares he'd received during his second year still fresh in his mind.  
  
"Mum's the...word," he said, wincing inwardly at his choice of words.  
  
Luna, though, smiled dreamily back at him.  
  
Despite the personal nature of the conversation, Harry was very comfortable talking to Luna. Nothing really seemed to faze her, which made him feel very much at ease. Since the end of last year, he'd had the feeling that she seemed to understand him.  
  
"Who's Aragog, anyway?" she asked out of the blue.  
  
"Aragog?" asked Harry, suddenly recalling their encounter with the spiders at the start of term. It amazed him the way she could jump right back into the middle of a conversation that had been interrupted weeks ago.  
  
"Oh, yeah - he's this really huge spider that lives in the forest, he's a friend of Hagrid's. All those spiders you saw are his offspring," he leaned close to Luna, lowering his voice even more, "but don't mention that name around Ron though, okay? He has this thing about spiders..."  
  
Luna nodded knowingly, her eyes them glancing over his shoulder. "Hermione's looking for us," she said as Harry turned, barely catching a glimpse of Hermione's brown hair through the crowd near the door.  
  
Harry and Luna both waved, Hermione not catching sight of them until Luna had stood on her chair and called out loudly, startling Harry and most of the patrons in the establishment. Hermione couldn't help but notice such a scene and came over, looking quite irritated. She sat down heavily, letting her bag fall to the floor.  
  
"Well, that was a waste of time," she said, crossing her arms in frustration.  
  
"Why, what happened?" asked Harry.  
  
"Oh, there were just about fifteen thousand other students who happened to want quills today too," she gave an abrupt sigh. "I'll just go back later when everyone's quite done pushing and shoving." She looked around the crowded inn. "Where's Ron, by the way?"  
  
"Still looking for Ginny and Neville, I guess," said Harry. He saw Madame Rosmerta walking towards them, her face lighting up once she recognized the faces at the table.  
  
"Well hello!" she smiled at them. "I haven't seen you three here since the middle of last term, with that Skeeter woman. It's always nice so see returning customers! What'll you be having today?"  
  
"A small cherry syrup for me, thanks," said Hermione, straightening up in her chair.  
  
Harry looked to Luna. "Oh, a gillywater with onion for me, please," she said dreamily.  
  
Harry grinned at Madame Rosmerta. "I'll have a butterbeer."  
  
She smiled back at them. "Coming right up," she said as she made her way back to the bar.  
  
Hermione turned to Harry, her frustration slowly ebbing. "I saw Mundungus Fletcher at the door outside," she said. "I think he was waiting for someone. Either that or he's standing guard. Anyway, I thought he looked a bit nervous."  
  
"That's reassuring, Mundungus standing guard and looking nervous," said Harry. "How does a guy like that get in the Order, anyway?" he asked.  
  
"I've asked myself the same thing," said Hermione. "But Ginny says Mr. Weasley has confidence in him...anyway, they must have a reason for having someone like him there."  
  
Harry shrugged. "If they do, it's sure a secret." He looked at Luna, who was fiddling with her napkin, trying to make some sort of shape with the soft material that he couldn't as yet guess. The napkin wasn't firm enough to hold its shape, however; he saw her repeatedly re-fold corners to try and make them stick, with little success.  
  
"May I join you?" a voice near them asked.  
  
Harry looked up to see Albus Dumbledore of all people, smiling down at them.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore! Of course, please - " Hermione indicated the empty chairs at the table.  
  
Hermione glanced at Harry with a shocked smile. "I didn't know you were coming to Hogsmeade, Professor," she said.  
  
"Ah yes," said Dumbledore, taking his seat. "As Hogwarts is virtually deserted, I have decided to permit myself the luxury of one of Madam Rosmerta's exquisite concoctions." He shifted slightly in his chair. "Alas, I'm reminded of why I have studiously avoided riding the Knight Bus all these years...it wouldn't rank as the most comfortable way to travel, would it?"  
  
Harry grinned, remembering quite vividly his own rather rough ride in the bus and trying to imagine Dumbledore going through the same experience. "No, definitely not."  
  
Madam Rosmerta returned with their drinks. "Well, Professor," she beamed. "Now here's a rare visitor to my premises! Hogwarts has almost made you a stranger, I daresay! What can I get for you today?"  
  
"I believe a nice hot chocolate will be just the ticket on a morning such as this, Madam Rosmerta", said Dumbledore. "Oh...and with a dash of nutmeg on top, if you please."  
  
The pub owner laughed at that. "With nutmeg, of course. Coming right up!" She returned to the bar.  
  
Harry noticed Dumbledore glance curiously at Luna.  
  
"Professor," said Hermione, "I was wondering...do you have any idea who will be Minister of Magic now that Cornelius Fudge has been sacked?"  
  
"Well," replied Dumbledore, "As of now, no decision has yet been rendered. But, I'm happy to say that the Wizengamot Executive Council has reduced their list of potential candidates to just three individuals, so I believe it safe to assume that we shall know shortly."  
  
"It's going to be Professor Lupin, isn't it?" chimed Luna, stirring her gillywater with her impaled onion.  
  
Dumbledore looked at her with a particular twinkle in his blue eyes, staring at her for a moment before speaking.  
  
"You would not happen to be related to a certain Annabelle Lovegood, perchance?"  
  
At that Luna looked up from her gillywater, her silver eyes wide and smiling as she nodded happily. "She was my mother," she said.  
  
"Ah, I'd imagined so. The resemblance is striking, I must say," said Dumbledore. "I recall quite vividly when your mother was attending Hogwarts some years ago...I daresay she was one of the most gifted students to pass through those ancient halls in a great many years."  
  
Luna's smile brightened and, though it hardly seemed possible to Harry, she seemed to be blushing slightly; clearly it pleased her to no end to listen to Dumbledore's glowing references to her mother.  
  
"But, as to your question," continued Dumbledore, "Remus Lupin is indeed one of the final three candidates for consideration. I see you have your mother's insight, Miss Lovegood. You wouldn't, perchance, share her beliefs in the existence of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack?"  
  
Hermione almost choked on her cherry syrup. "P - Professor?" she managed to blurt out.  
  
Dumbledore turned to her. "Oh yes, I've wondered about their existence for a great many years myself," he said quite seriously, although Harry wondered if he'd caught a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Perhaps it was just his imagination.  
  
Hermione was staring back and forth between Dumbledore and Luna, gaping open-mouthed. Luna seemed particularly delighted.  
  
"You - you really believe - " stammered Hermione.  
  
"One must not gauge the truth only by what our eyes and ears tell us, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore sagely. "While there is indisputable value to learning through books and teachings, that is only the beginning of knowledge. On occasion, there are things that one must accept on faith, even when no explanation is forthcoming."  
  
Hermione seemed to be in a state of shock. Although she had stopped openly disputing Luna's beliefs, sharing them was an altogether different matter.  
  
"Knowledge is my village, but wisdom is my kingdom," said Luna in a melodious voice, twirling her onion around in her gillywater.  
  
The innkeeper returned with Dumbledore's nutmeg-topped hot chocolate. "Ah, thank you, Madam Rosmerta," said the Headmaster as she smiled and retreated back to the bustling bar.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore," began Harry, as the Headmaster lightly sipped the top of his drink, testing its temperature. "I've been meaning to ask you...the D.A. lessons I gave last year, I was wondering if..."  
  
"If you could continue with the lessons," Dumbledore finished for him. Harry nodded.  
  
Dumbledore seemed pensive for a moment. "Well, Harry, in view of the lack of proper Defence Against the Dark Arts teachings for most of the last few years, I certainly believe it to be a worthwhile endeavour. However, I must ask you to coordinate your lessons with those of your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."  
  
Harry and Hermione smiled at each other. While initially reluctant, Harry had quickly become the enthusiastic teacher of the D.A. classes the previous year whilst they were all suffering under the corrupt teachings of Dolores Umbridge. He had even poured through books to acquaint himself with new material in his spare time, something he rarely did for any of his regular classes.  
  
"Who is the new teacher, Professor?" asked Hermione, knowing that Grubbly- Plank was only filling in as a favour for Dumbledore until a permanent replacement was found.  
  
"Well," said the Headmaster, "There is a candidate currently in Denmark finishing up some urgent business, but should be ready to start teaching duties in about a month's time. He has little teaching experience, though I have full confidence in his ability to instruct the required material."  
  
Harry silently hoped so. Lupin had been the only teacher under whom they'd received high quality teaching on the subject. As there were only two more years left before their N.E.W.T.S., they could ill afford another sub-par Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.  
  
Harry saw Mundungus Fletcher making his way quickly to their table. "Sorry to interrupt," the crotchety member of the Order said, "But he's jus' arrived, Professor."  
  
"Ah," Dumbledore said, rising from his seat, hot chocolate in tow. "I must attend to an important matter, if you'll excuse me." He smiled down at them before following Mundungus out of the crowded inn.  
  
Harry wondered if this 'matter' could be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, but no, he thought, Dumbledore said he wouldn't arrive for another month, didn't he? He looked over at Hermione, who was also looking at the departing Headmaster with curiosity. Luna, on the other hand, was contentedly sucking on her onion, staring at him over her glass of Gillywater. 


	7. Luna's Year, Part VII

A while later Harry accompanied Hermione down the street to Scrivenshaft's, as she'd seen it fit to remind him of his own quill's rather ragged state. True enough, he thought, but his had lasted him for five years!  
  
Hermione was asking the shopkeeper about the writing qualities of the various quills arrayed throughout the store. After much indecision and head- shaking from Harry, she finally managed to pick out five quills to her liking. Harry, on the other hand, wasn't fussy. He simply picked a quill that appealed to him aesthetically, a long brownish one that apparently came from a tawny owl.  
  
They exited the shop and proceeded down the main street towards Dervish and Banges. Just as they approached Luna drifted out the front door, strolling up the street so dreamily that Harry wondered how she didn't walk straight into buildings. Though she'd gone into the shop to look for owls, she'd evidently come up empty-handed.  
  
"Hey Luna," Harry called out as they caught up with her. "Didn't they have an owl you liked?"  
  
"Oh yes, several," she said dreamily. "But I ended up picking a raven, actually. I think Daddy will be happy; it is the symbol for Ravenclaw, after all."  
  
A raven? Harry thought. Normally people used owls, he'd never seen a raven used for post before. Well, Sirius used tropical birds once, didn't he?  
  
"Oh, he was a Ravenclaw too, then?" asked Hermione, as the three of them slowly began walking back towards the Three Broomsticks.  
  
"No, he was in Hufflepuff," said Luna as she rummaged through her bag and pulled out her woollen yellow mittens, the late morning air still quite chilly. "Mum was in Ravenclaw, though; I think it made him happy that I was, too."  
  
"Hey, wait a second," said Harry, stopping in his tracks. "Aren't you forgetting your bird?"  
  
Luna turned to him and smiled dreamily. "No, I asked the shopkeeper if I could leave him there until later. I didn't want to carry that cage with me all day, he's really quite large, you know."  
  
"Oh, right," said Harry, resuming their walk.  
  
Harry heard a familiar voice calling out his name somewhere down the street, turning around to make out Ron leading Ginny and Neville towards them at a brisk pace, each with a fair-sized bag in hand.  
  
"Where were you guys for the last hour?" asked Harry as they joined up in the middle of the street.  
  
Ron grinned and shoved his bag under Harry's nose. Peering inside with caution, lest it be an exploding prank courtesy of Zonko's, Harry ascertained that they'd a fair sum at Honeyduke's; the bag was nearly full of every colourful treat imaginable. Ginny was sharing hers with Luna and Hermione, and the sight of Neville's grimacing face was an obvious indicator that he'd bitten into a less desirable sample of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.  
  
"Sorry we're late," said Ron, "But I found them at Honeydukes... what's a guy to do?"  
  
"It'll cost you," Harry grinned, pulling out a chocolate frog from the bag.  
  
Suddenly Ron's countenance changed as he looked past Harry, a slight frown on his face. "Hey, look...what would you wager they're up to?" he said, pointing down the street.  
  
Harry turned around and saw Malfoy and his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, walking briskly across the road, glancing in every direction before disappearing between two buildings across the street. The way the Slytherins were going along did seem rather suspicious.  
  
"Think we should follow them?" He asked Ron.  
  
"Yeah, let's," answered Ron without hesitation, not needing much prodding to go after Malfoy.  
  
The two of them marched briskly down the street when he heard Hermione cry out. "Where are you going?" she asked as she and the rest of the group caught up to him.  
  
"We're following Malfoy's, I think he might be up to something. The way he crossed the street just now, it was like they were making sure they weren't being followed," Harry said, maintaining his brisk pace.  
  
Coming to the two building where Malfoy had disappeared, Harry spotted the Slytherins walking quickly up the hill, away from the village.  
  
"I think they're heading for the shack," he said, putting his chocolate frog in his pocket for later consumption.  
  
"What, the Shrieking Shack?" asked Neville, moving beside Harry for a better look.  
  
"Looks like it," replied Harry. He turned to the others. "There's nothing in that place, so why would Malfoy be going there? Should we check it out?"  
  
"Are you kidding?" said Ron. "Malfoy's going there for a reason Harry! I'm sure they're not all going off for a walk!"  
  
Hermione had seemed about to speak but apparently had second thoughts. Ron, Ginny and Neville were staring at Harry expectantly, though Luna, on the other hand, was gazing off into the sky, dreamily observing a flock of passing swans.  
  
Harry was slightly disconcerted. He was used to leading the DA lessons, but this was something else; they were in the field now, which was a world apart from the safety of the Room of Requirement.  
  
"Well," he said finally, watching the Slytherins become smaller in the distance and making his decision, "Okay then, let's go."  
  
Harry led the way through the short alleyway into the fields beyond, just as Malfoy's group disappeared behind the ridge in the distance. Harry's breath was steaming up the late morning air as they began marching up the slope leading up towards the Shrieking Shack. Looking back behind him, Harry made sure everyone was keeping up, Luna looking for all the world as though they were on a leisurely Sunday morning stroll with her lightly bouncing gait.  
  
They came to the top of the ridge, Harry slowing his march as the Shrieking Shack came into view, scanning the area around the old abandoned house for any sign of the Slytherins, who had seemingly vanished.  
  
As they came closer, Harry looked more intently at the decrepit house, the front doorway and windows still apparently boarded up. They walked through the old overgrown garden, Harry turning to the others and putting a finger to his lips. If Malfoy was inside, the last thing he wanted was to give away their approach.  
  
He slowly walked around the right side of the house, hugging the wall as he moved, the others doing likewise. Every window on this side were still solidly covered up by planks as well.  
  
Harry turned the corner to the rear of the house and almost jumped as he heard a muffled patting sound emanating behind him. Spinning around, he saw Ron frantically beating his coat, then quickly stomping his foot on the ground.  
  
"Blimey, Harry!" whispered Ron, catching sight of Harry's bemused stare. "The spiders here are huge!"  
  
Harry thought of reminding him of Aragog's brood, but thought better of it. They proceeded around the rest of the house, looking for any sign of entry. Finding none, Harry stood back from the wall and looked around. There wasn't anyone in sight except for his group. Scratching his head, he wondered if perhaps Malfoy might have managed to enter the house through some other means, but it seemed unlikely. They couldn't yet apparate, and all the entrances appeared undisturbed, down to the ancient cobwebs that marked every dusty corner of their frames.  
  
"Harry," called out Ginny from near the forest's edge, "I think they went in here. There's a trail, see..."  
  
Harry and the others moved closer. Sure enough, there was an old overgrown path heading into the woods, and as Malfoy wasn't anywhere to be seen, it seemed a fair bet that Malfoy had taken this route.  
  
But why? Harry wondered. Malfoy wasn't one to go gallivanting around the woods for no reason; he certainly wasn't the nature-loving type.  
  
"Harry," said Hermione, breaking the silence, "Maybe we should turn back, we don't know what's in there..."  
  
Harry looked at the others, who were looking to him once more and awaiting his decision, except for Luna, who was busily picking up fallen acorns from the short yellow grasses near the forest's edge.  
  
"Look," said Harry, wanting to get Hermione onside, "Who knows what Malfoy is doing...if he's up to no good, and I'll wager he is, how are we going to find out anything if we turn back now? We'll just be second guessing ourselves later if something comes of this..."  
  
Hermione seemed to consider that possibility. "Well...since you put it that way..."  
  
Her words indicated an acquiescence that her doubtful expression did not mirror.  
  
"Right then. Okay, let's keep quiet in there," said Harry as he made his way along the path into the woods.  
  
"Blimey, I feel a bit stupid carrying this around here," said Ron, laying his sizeable bag of treats atop an old stump for temporary safekeeping before hurrying off after the others.  
  
They made their way silently and carefully into the forest; they could see a fair distance as the autumn-hued trees had lost much of their canopy and weren't blocking out the light entirely. Nevertheless, the further they walked, the more apprehensive Harry became, not being remotely familiar with this part of the forest.  
  
Harry was in the lead when he heard Ginny behind him.  
  
"Stop," she whispered as loudly as she dared.  
  
Harry froze. Everyone else also stopping in their tracks. He looked at the path ahead, thinking she'd seen something, but all that was visible was the ongoing, meandering path heading deeper into the forest. He slowly turned his head around to look at her.  
  
"What'd you see?" he whispered.  
  
Ginny shook her head. "No, listen," she whispered back.  
  
Harry strained his ears, though he couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary. In fact, he suddenly realized, he couldn't hear anything at all. It then dawned on him; the forest had grown eerily quiet, the natural sounds of chirping birds and wildlife had become conspicuously silent.  
  
He looked back at the others. They'd all noticed it now too...something was clrealy amiss here. Ron quietly moved up to join him.  
  
"Harry," he whispered, "Hear that? There's no noise at all..."  
  
"I know," Harry whispered back. Much as he wanted to know what Malfoy was up to, he was getting the distinct feeling that they shouldn't be here. The others seemed to be echoing his feelings, looking rather anxious, except for Luna who was staring at him serenely. They were all waiting for his lead.  
  
Harry could feel his own anxiety slowly increasing; they couldn't just stay here. He was about to ask if they wanted to turn back when he felt a chill go down his spine. Something terrible was nearby, something he'd experienced before; a rapidly growing sense of dread permeating his thoughts.  
  
"Harry!" yelled Hermione shrilly, not bothering to whisper.  
  
He turned to look at her, feeling an invisible weight pressing on his shoulders. His stomach heaved as his vision slowly dimmed. Were his eyes playing tricks on him, or did it seem much darker than it had been only moments before?  
  
She was staring wide-eyed and pointing into the woods. Harry saw it. A large, grey-clad figure seemingly floating inches above the forest floor, slowly gliding towards them. Its rotting face was concealed in darkness beneath its shabby hood, yet Harry knew its identity at once.  
  
A Dementor!  
  
He fumbled for his wand, his movements slow and clumsy, his fingers stiff with cold. Finally disentangling it from his coat, he was about to point it at the approaching horror when Neville grabbed his arm.  
  
Neville was pointing in the opposite direction. A second Dementor had appeared and was floating towards them, closer than the first. Harry quickly turned his wand in its direction.  
  
"Cast your Patronus!" Harry called out, his own voice shaking in his ears.  
  
They all drew their wands. "Here's another one," Harry heard Luna say, her voice sounding eerily serene. He glanced in her direction and saw a third Dementor creeping closer, gliding above the trail from the direction they'd come.  
  
It was now or never. "Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted.  
  
A small wisp of pale, silvery mist shot out of his wand and dissipated in the frigid air before even reaching its target. Harry cursed. He was acting too hastily here. He closed his eyes and thought of something other than the approaching horrors.  
  
He thought of the day not long ago, standing in the bushes along the lake, when Luna had reminded him of his extended family, right here at Hogwarts. The memory came flooding back into his mind.  
  
"Expecto Patronum!" he yelled. A large, brilliant white stag shot out of his wand and charged at the Dementor, who quickly turned and retreated back into the forest.  
  
"Stag!" Harry called out, "This way!" He pointed towards the Dementor on the opposite side of the trail.  
  
As the stag charged through them he became aware of a smaller brilliant figure shooting forth from Hermione's wand, quickly taking the shape of the otter she'd conjured up in their DA lessons. Faced with two Patronii, the Dementor quickly drew off into the woods.  
  
Harry saw a similarly small silver form shoot from Luna's wand, rapidly scampering along the trail behind them towards the third Dementor, who quickly followed his fellows into the wilderness.  
  
Immediately the sense of dread began to slowly ebb, the natural sounds of the forest slowly returning to normal. Harry's fingers no longer felt the icy cold numbness of a few moments before.  
  
"What is that?" Neville was asking Luna, pointing to the small Patronus scurrying along the path before them.  
  
Harry moved closer, glancing around to make sure there were no other Dementors, though the reawakening of the forest and the disappearing cold reassured him that they were safe. He looked down at Luna's dissipating Patronus; it looked to be some sort of charm gone wrong, as the odd combination of a beaver's body and a duck's head didn't exactly make for the most natural form.  
  
"Professor Lupin said a Patronus takes the form of normal animals," said Harry, "But I've never seen anything like that before."  
  
"It's a platypus," said Luna, tucking her wand back behind her ear.  
  
"It's a what?" asked Ron.  
  
Luna turned her large silvery eyes on him. "A platypus."  
  
Ron looked even more confused. "That's what I thought you said, but - "  
  
"It's an animal that lives in Australia Ron," said Hermione. "I've seen them in books; they live in water, mostly. Anyway, I'll show you once we get back to the library."  
  
"Well, okay," said Ron doubtfully, as though disbelieving that such a strange looking creature could exist outside the Wizarding world.  
  
"Well," piped Harry, bringing them back to the subject at hand, "Those Dementors were here for a reason. I'd guess they were here to guard something."  
  
"Harry, maybe we should go tell Professor Dumbledore," counselled Hermione. "He should know about this." She looked at him hopefully.  
  
She was right, of course, Harry knew, but he couldn't bear the thought of not knowing what Malfoy was up to, especially now that the Dementors had been dealt with. Clearly, keeping the DA sessions a secret had paid off; Malfoy had certainly not bargained with students who could cast Patroni.  
  
Could Malfoy be in cahoots with Dementors? Harry wondered.  
  
"Okay," he said finally, "Ginny, get back to the village and find Dumbledore. Let him know what happened here, tell him we're going to go ahead and keep looking. Don't worry, we won't do anything stupid until he gets here."  
  
"What? Why can't I come??" asked Ginny, looking angry and shocked.  
  
"Well, someone has to tell Dumbledore," said Harry consolingly. "Look, Neville will go with you, just make sure you get back with Dumbledore as quick as you can."  
  
"What?!" exclaimed Neville. "I want to go see what's going on too!" "Neville," said Harry, trying to sound reassuring, "There's probably no more Dementors around, but if there are I want you to go with Ginny, you're both pretty good with the Patronus charm."  
  
"Well...okay," said Neville reluctantly. Both he and Ginny were obviously loath to leave their friends, but finally turned and ran quickly back along the path, Harry watching them go until they were out of sight.  
  
He'd thought about sending Luna back as well, but he felt inexplicably more secure with her at his side, this despite her current preoccupation of kneeling down along the edge of the path and dreamily watching a large yellow butterfly rhythmically opening and closing its wings while perched on a yellowed shrub.  
  
"What now?" asked Ron. "Should we wait here, or - ? "  
  
Harry nodded towards the path heading further into the forest. "Let's stick to the trail," he said, "We won't get lost that way."  
  
Ron nodded, though Hermione seemed less than convinced. "Harry," she said, "Maybe Ron's right, we can wait here for Dumbledore, can't we? I really don't think we should go charging in blindly."  
  
"Well, we're not exactly charging," said Harry. "We'll just be quiet and as long as we - "  
  
He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Luna stand up slowly, moving her hand in a hushing motion. She turned to him, her large pale eyes staring into his.  
  
"Someone's coming," she said serenely.  
  
Harry listened intently. Aside from the normal sounds of the forest, he could hear nothing out of the ordinary.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked. It couldn't be the Dementors returning, could it?  
  
"Listen..." she whispered. Then, very faintly in the distance, Harry heard the sound of a snapping branch.  
  
He quickly pointed to a spot just off the trail. "Get behind those bushes!" He whispered.  
  
They crouched down behind the thick shrubs and listening carefully. A few moments later the sounds of someone walking through along the trail became unmistakable.  
  
Harry could make out some movement in the distance through the branches, but at this range he was having trouble making out any details. "See anything?" he whispered to Luna next to him, though she had no better luck peering through the shrubbery. As the figures loomed closer he could gradually make out some shapes. The figures were wearing dark coats, Harry assuming it must be Malfoy and his henchmen.  
  
His suspicions were confirmed the moment he caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy's head as he walked by briskly, following closely by Crabbe and Goyle. They were heading back in the direction of the Shrieking Shack.  
  
"Let's get 'em!" whispered Ron, fumbling for his wand.  
  
"Wait!" cautioned Hermione in a whisper and frowning, putting her hand on Ron's arm to restrain him. "We don't even know if they did anything wrong, and anyway, it's better if they don't know we're here."  
  
Ron looked disappointed, but her argument held an undeniable truth. It was best to keep Malfoy in the dark until they had a better idea of what was going on.  
  
They waited until Malfoy's group was out of sight. "Okay," said Harry, pushing himself up from the ground and brushing away various leaves and twigs sticking to his coat. "I doubt they'll be back anytime soon, let's go check up ahead."  
  
They made their way back to the path and took a last look back to make sure they weren't being followed before making their way further into the forest.  
  
They had been walking for several minutes before Harry stopped to stare at what appeared to be a small campsite along the trail up ahead. He could see wisps of pale smoke rising from a smoldering fire, a small cauldron sitting amidst the embers. A thick brown blanket had been laid out on the ground, a small haversack just next to it.  
  
They approached cautiously, looking around for any sign of the individual who had obviously encamped there. Harry peered into the cauldron; it appeared to contain the remnants of a stew. Ron began rummaging through the haversack.  
  
"Ron!" said Hermione sharply, moving to his side. "You shouldn't be going through that, it's not yours!"  
  
"That's why I'm looking through it!" Ron protested. "Malfoy's been here before, so we have to know who was he talking to, don't we? Hey, look at this," he pulled out an old leather-bound book and held it up to her. "Maybe this might - "  
  
"STUPEFY! ACCIO BOOK!" Harry jumped back from the cauldron at the sound of the shrill voice. A flash of light enveloped Ron and sent him crumpling limply to the ground. A moment later the book flew out of his hand and vanished into the woods.  
  
Harry and the others quickly whipped out their wands, but there was no one in sight. Harry shuddered. The voice had sounded eerily familiar. "Where'd that some from?!" asked Hermione in alarm, pointing her wand in the general direction that the book had flown off. But there was no target upon which to cast a counterspell.  
  
Harry shook his head, his own wand waving uncertainly, desperately scanning every tree and branch -  
  
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" the same hoarse voice shrieked, as a jet of light shot out from the woods and struck Hermione. She immediately stiffened and dropped rigidly to the ground.  
  
"Harry look," said Luna, pointing her wand towards a large poplar tree about twenty metres away.  
  
"What?" asked Harry, pointing his wand in the same direction Luna had indicated. "Are they hiding behind that tree?"  
  
The shrill voice sounded out for the third time: "AVADA KEDAVRA!"  
  
"Resista!" cried Luna, spinning around and pointing her wand at Harry.  
  
Harry was dimly aware of a clash of yellow and greenish light wash over him, his sight quickly losing focus and blurring. He'd barely had time to feel his knees buckle and the ground hit him before darkness enveloped his senses.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry felt his body shaking through the encompassing darkness, though he was just barely aware of it. He vaguely thought he could hear something, so distant and muffled as to be practically indistinct. He felt as though he were just slowly awakening from a terribly exhausting dream...he just needed to get back to sleep.  
  
He felt himself shake again.  
  
Another misty voice sounded through the darkness, a little more clearly this time.  
  
"Enervate."  
  
The words seemed to be whispered from a great distance, as he could barely hear them. But just then he felt a surge of warmth rush through his body, his mind slowly beginning to clear. He felt his body move again, becoming suddenly aware that he wasn't moving himself; someone was shaking him.  
  
"Harry?" The soft voice was familiar, reaching into his clouded mind and touching his memories. He tried to open his eyes but his eyelids wouldn't move, almost as though they were welded shut. He tried to move, but his muscles were deaf to his commands. It was as though his mind was awakening but his body remained resolutely shut down. Then he heard the voice again.  
  
"Enervate."  
  
An orange glow shone through his eyelids for a moment, the same brief sensation of warmth rushing through his body as before. He felt his hand twitch.  
  
He tried opening his eyes again. This time they reluctantly obeyed, and he squinted painfully as the flood of light returned to him.  
  
"Harry?" he heard the voice call to him again.  
  
His sight gradually cleared and came into focus. He became aware of a pair of large, wondrous silver eyes staring down at him.  
  
"Luna?" he croaked.  
  
An expression of relief cross her face. "Oh, good," she said, sitting back on her haunces. "I didn't want to risk another Enervate...Professor Flitwick said it wasn't a good idea to use it too often on the same person, you know, and I'd tried it three times already..."  
  
Harry gradually became aware of his surroundings. He was lying on his back, and judging from the branches overhead he was evidently still in the forest. Indeed, it seemed as though not much time had passed since he'd fallen. Ron and Hermione were still lying on the ground just a few feet away. He tried to sit, but as he pushed himself up on one elbow his head throbbed so painfully he thought it would explode.  
  
He decided sitting tight for a bit would be the better option, feeling queasy. He looked back up at the young Ravenclaw.  
  
Luna was a mess. Her long, dirty blonde hair was severely dishevelled, with twigs caught in several places both in her hair and on her coat. One of her sleeves was badly torn, her face was sullied with dirt and she had a nasty cut on her forehead. But despite all of that, she had quickly regained her familiar dreamy composure. Harry noticed she had a wand tucked behind her ear, along with a second one in her hand.  
  
"W-what..." said Harry hoarsely, as he struggled finally to a sitting position, his head still throbbing painfully. "What...happened?" he said finally.  
  
Luna drew back and sat beside him. "She was hiding herself with a disillusionment charm, Harry" she said solemnly. "That's why you couldn't see her. For a moment I was rather worried I hadn't been quick enough. Anyway...I finally managed to catch her with an Expelliarmus and get her wand," she said, pointing to the one tucked behind her ear. "I think she disapparated after that because I couldn't see her at all..."  
  
She turned to Hermione and waved her wand. "Finite Incantatum," she said as a soft white glow shot forth and enveloped Hermione, who quickly gave a shudder. Within moments she sat up slowly, having been released from her imposed paralysis. Luna then got to her feet and walked over to Ron.  
  
"Harry!" said Hermione, moving quickly next to him, her eyes wide with concern. "Are you okay?! She used an Unforgivable Curse! I heard everything! I - I tried to move, but I just couldn't!"  
  
"I know," said Harry, trying to sound reassuring despite his hoarse voice and feeble strength. "Don't blame yourself, a Petrificus charm would get anyone..."  
  
Hermione looked terribly worried. "Thank goodness she missed you with that Curse, Harry," she said, her brown eyes misting. "I was sure she'd hit you..."  
  
Harry tried to recollect his memories of recent events. "I...I don't think she missed, Hermione," he said as he watched Luna revive Ron with another Enervate charm. Ron groggily moved up into a sitting position. "I think Luna cast a spell on me just before it hit..."  
  
A thought suddenly occurred to him. She'd cast that spell on him instead of herself, without knowing who the intended target had been for the Curse.  
  
Merlin's Beard, he thought, she risked everything on a guess! He looked at Luna again, who was now helping Ron struggle to his feet. A strange feeling swept through him. He swallowed hard...  
  
Luna was helping Ron over to them when the redhead's legs gave out, sending them both crashing heavily to the ground next to Hermione.  
  
"Oy," Ron said, grabbing his head, "I feel like I've had about a dozen mulled meads..."  
  
Luna pushed herself back up into a sitting position, brushed the dirt from her hands and picked up the second wand where it had fallen, tucking it back behind her ear.  
  
"I think we should wait for the others," said Hermione. "I don't think we can get very far like this..."  
  
She looked at Harry worriedly again before turning to the Ravenclaw. "Did you get a good look at her, Luna?" she asked. "That voice..."  
  
Harry saw Luna glance at him. "Yes..." she said softly. For a moment Harry thought she would say nothing more. "It was that woman we saw at the Ministry last year..."  
  
"Lestrange!" Hermione cried.  
  
Luna nodded sadly.  
  
Harry felt his stomach heave. She...it was her...that woman who killed Sirius! He felt his anger quickly surge into rage. He tried to get to his feet but his legs would not support him.  
  
"We...have to go after her!" he said, furious that his legs remained resolutely powerless.  
  
Hermione put her hands on his shoulders, restraining him. "She could've disapparated anywhere Harry...I'm sorry," she said gently, her eyes watering. Luna was staring at the ground, seemingly lost in thought.  
  
Despite his fury, Harry knew Hermione was right. His feeling of rage turned into one of despair; even if he knew where she'd gone, he couldn't even walk on his own, let alone muster the energy to face off against a Death Eater in a duel.  
  
Luna looked up, towards the trail in the distance and slowly got to her feet.  
  
"Someone's coming," she said quietly, moving past Harry and Hermione, coming to a halt a few metres from them, wand held at the ready. Hermione quickly got up and joined her, Ron stumbling back to the ground when he tried to do the same. Harry hoped it wasn't Malfoy returning. He was virtually helpless...  
  
"Luna! Hermione!" Ginny's voice called out.  
  
He heard the rustling sounds of many footsteps approaching. Looking up, he saw the familiar figure of Professor McGonagall looking down at him worriedly.  
  
"What happened here?" she said brusquely, kneeling down to get a better look at Harry. "Good lord Potter, you look like you've been subjected to a good half dozen Expelliarmus hexes!" She took out her wand and pointed it at him.  
  
"Oh, not another spell, please," he begged weakly.  
  
"Not to worry, Potter, this won't harm you in any way," she said. "Mobilicorpus."  
  
Harry felt himself grow lighter, McGonagall pulling him up to his feet with little effort. Looking down, however, he saw he wasn't on his feet at all; rather, he was floating several inches above the forest floor. She moved off and cast the same spell on Ron.  
  
Harry saw Dumbledore walk up to him quickly, his intense blue eyes full of concern.  
  
"I've just been made aware of the happenings here, Harry," he said. "It would appear that you were the victim of a partly blocked Killing Curse...however the effects of even a near miss can still be quite serious, as you've no doubt surmised. Miss Granger has also informed me of the identity of the individual in question..." he looked at Harry understandingly. "But I must convey to you, Harry, the extreme danger you put yourself in by attempting to confront her. She is a most formidable opponent, and confrontation with her should be avoided if at all possible. It is most fortunate that she was concealing herself with a disillusionment charm, otherwise...well, we really must get you back to Madam Pomfrey."  
  
"Professor," Harry said weakly as Dumbledore was about to turn away, "I don't understand...why...why was it 'fortunate'?"  
  
Dumbledore looked at Harry a moment, then smiled slightly. "Ah, yes," he said, "I don't believe you've studied that yet. A disillusionment charm is quite useful, Harry, but it also has one weakness: any attempt to use the more powerful magics while under its cover causes the charm to end, thereby making its user visible."  
  
"So...that's why..."  
  
"Yes," Dumbledore nodded. "Had she not been trying to conceal herself, she may well have cast the Killing Curse on your friends as well, without any warning."  
  
"But..." Harry said, "what was she doing here?"  
  
Dumbledore's expression changed. He looked very serious. "That," he said, "is a very interesting question, Harry. The Order has not been able to learn any information about Lord Voldemort's plans over the last few months, and I fear we may have become too complacent in light of his recent inactivity."  
  
He looked at Professor McGonagall, who had arrived next to Harry, holding Ron's arm. "Are we ready, Professor McGonagall?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," she answered. "Miss Granger, come here, if you please."  
  
Hermione ran over to them. "Please take his arm, Miss Granger," ordered McGonagall, indicating Harry. "You'll have no trouble moving him along."  
  
As Dumbledore moved back along the path, the others followed closely behind, Harry feeling the strange sensation of drifting along effortlessly. Hermione looked up as she pulled him along, trying her best to smile at him reassuringly.  
  
As they passed Luna, Harry caught sight of her staring at him, mouth slightly open, her luminous silver eyes full of concern. 


	8. Luna's Year, Part VIII

Harry was stuffed. He'd already eaten several helpings of Madam Pomfrey's medicinal chocolate along with several helpings of Ginny's Honeydukes treats that evening when Luna arrived bearing a batch of her chocolate Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. He'd taken one out of politeness, being quite full by then, but he was quickly taken aback after sampling its exquisite taste, quickly helping himself to seconds and more.  
  
Now he felt totally gorged. He lay back against the headrest and gazed around the infirmary; Ron was sprawled out on a chair near the foot of his bed, head tilted back and sound asleep, though that hadn't stopped Ginny from painting dark circles around his eyes with some softened chocolate, nor Neville from tying his shoelaces together. Luna, meanwhile, was showing Hermione how to make origami figurines with sheets from The Quibbler.  
  
Madam Pomfrey had no trouble bringing Ron back to health, though it had been a trickier matter with Harry, hit as he was by a partly blocked killing curse. She'd told him earlier that she would keep him under observation overnight, though she fully expected him to be fully recovered by next morning.  
  
Harry put his arms back behind his head and lay back on his pillow, staring up at the vaulted ceiling. His feelings of rage and helplessness had begun to subside, the presence of his friends having had a positive effect, especially that of Luna's.  
  
He looked over at her, the same strange feeling he'd felt in the forest that day lingering still. She'd manage to partly deflect the Killing Curse from Harry, though doing so had left her completely unprotected. As it turned out, she had guessed the intended target correctly, but still...he was struck at how very close he'd come to losing someone who he'd come to consider a friend.  
  
He smiled at the sight of her and Hermione getting along so well; there was a time not so long ago when all they'd seemed to do was argue. Indeed, it was the only time that Harry ever saw Luna agitated, especially when her father's magazine or her beliefs were criticized. While he seriously doubted Hermione would ever come to share Luna's viewpoints on such things as the Snorkack, she'd shown herself more open-minded to Luna as a person, at least.  
  
He was becoming acutely aware that slumber was beckoning him urgently. The effects of the day's encounter had drained him. He tried to stifle a yawn but only partly succeeded, quickly putting his hand in front of his mouth.  
  
Hermione had taken notice. "Oh, it is getting late, look," she said, glancing at the clock on the far. It was already well past nine. She stood up from her chair.  
  
"No, it's okay," said Harry. "Just a little tired, that's all."  
  
"Harry, you need your sleep. I really hadn't noticed the time go by, honestly." She and Luna began putting away their things, while Ginny and Neville quickly moved away from Ron. "I'll come by tomorrow morning before Madam Pomfrey lets you out, okay?"  
  
Truth be told, he couldn't wait to fall asleep and hopefully put the day's events behind him. "Okay," he smiled weakly.  
  
Luna put the remaining cranberry-stained pages of The Quibbler back in order and put it on Harry's nightstand. "Here you go," she said dreamily, "I'm done with it, if you should feel like reading. There's an excellent article on the Snivelling Gibberall this month, actually."  
  
He smiled at her. "Thanks," he said. He seriously doubted he would wake up in the middle of the night and want to read about Gibberalls, whatever they were, but he appreciated the thought nonetheless.  
  
Hermione went to wake up Ron at the foot of the bed and drew back at the sight of him.  
  
"Oh no," she said, putting a hand over her mouth upon sighting the chocolate rings around his eyes. She looked at Ginny, who was trying desperately to keep herself from giggling out loud. "Oh, Ginny, that's awful," she said, although her voice was nevertheless betraying her obvious amusement.  
  
Luna walked past and looked down at Ron. She stopped for a moment and stared at his face...  
  
Then like a thunderbolt she burst out laughing, pointing at his painted face, jolting Ron jolting by the sound of her laughter.  
  
Ron was looking quickly in every direction. "Wha - ? Eh? What?"  
  
His eyes quickly focused on Luna, who was now doubling over with mirth. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs and frowned at her. "What's she laughing at?" he asked, though with everyone concentrating so hard at keeping a straight face he received no reply. "Well c'mon!" he said, looking around. "What's so funny?"  
  
Luna put a hand on Harry's bed to keep from falling over, the sound of her laughter drawing Madam Pomfrey from her desk at the far end of the infirmary.  
  
Seeing Luna pointing at him, Ron quickly ran his hand through his hair, feeling nothing out of the ordinary. He glared at Luna, who was having trouble keeping her balance even with Harry's bed for support. "Something's wrong with her," he said to Hermione while rolling his eyes.  
  
Hermione nodded sagely, but Ron obviously detected something in her expression as he did a suspicious double take. "Well, it's past curfew Ron," she said, trying her best to sound serious. "We're going to let Harry get some sleep. Why don't you escort Ginny and Neville, I'll take Luna back to Ravenclaw tower, so she doesn't get into trouble with Filch."  
  
Ron took another irritated look at Luna before rising from his chair. "Right," he said, looking at Harry. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, mate."  
  
He took one step towards the door and immediately fell over Neville's chair and crashed, slow motion style, making a desperate but vain attempt to grab onto the bed. At that, Luna's laughter became breathless, her silver eyes swimming in tears, her arms clutching her sides as she very nearly dropped to her knees in mirth.  
  
Ron rolled over into a sitting position and furiously untied his laces. Getting to his feet just as Madam Pomfrey arrived, he glared at his friends, who could no longer contain themselves, laughing out loud with Luna. "Wasn't funny!" he declared angrily before turning and heading towards the door.  
  
"C'mon, you two," he barked, holding the door open as Ginny and Neville scampered, giggling, after him.  
  
"Miss Lovegood!" said Madam Pomfrey, her face severe. "Please try to control - oh for heaven's sake, she's not even listening to me." She turned to Hermione, "Can't you quieten her down, Miss Granger?"  
  
Hermione grabbed a hold of Luna's arm and pulled her towards the door, which was made doubly difficult by the fact that Luna was still in hysterics and gasping for air, her legs wobbly as she staggered valiantly along. Harry could hear Hermione giggling all the way, the two of them looking for all the world like two drunks staggering home after having had one too many rum and ales.  
  
"Hmph, really," grumped Madam Pomfrey as she watched the door close behind them. She turned to Harry. "It's time you got some rest, Mr. Potter," she said, taking the chairs back and putting them along the wall before returning to her desk.  
  
He couldn't argue there, though he was still chuckling at the mental image of Luna's fit of hysterics. For someone so serene, she certainly had an explosive sense of humour. Harry took off his glasses and put them next to The Quibbler on his nightstand. He stared at the blurred ceiling for a few moments, before reaching over to turn off the light, when suddenly he felt his hand hit something moving.  
  
"Gah!" he said, jerking his hand back. He squinted at the figure peering over the side of his bed. "Dobby?" he asked, reaching over the elf for his glasses.  
  
"Dobby heard that Harry Potter was attacked this morning, sir," the little elf said, his huge tennis ball eyes staring up at Harry, who was fumbling to put his glasses back on. "Dobby had to come to make sure Harry Potter was all right."  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, Dobby," said Harry, glancing over at Madam Pomfrey. "Keep your voice down though, visiting hours are over."  
  
"Oh, yes," Dobby whispered, moving closer. "It was a terrible thing that happened in the forest, sir, terrible indeed."  
  
"Yeah it was," agreed Harry. A thought came to him. "Listen Dobby," he began, looking over again to make sure Madam Pomfrey wasn't detecting their conversation. "You elves clean the castle at night, don't you?"  
  
"Oh yes, Harry Potter, we clean when everyone is asleep," said Dobby proudly. "It is the mark of a good House Elf who can clean up without being noticed."  
  
"Right," said Harry, his idea taking shape. "Can you do me a favour Dobby?"  
  
"Of course, Harry Potter!" the little elf beamed. "An honour it would be!"  
  
"Okay," whispered Harry, "I know you clean our tower, but can you ask the other elves, the ones who clean the Ravenclaw tower? I need them to look for a necklace made up of butterbeer caps, it got stolen from a friend of mine and I'd really like for her to get it back."  
  
"Butterbeer cap necklace," repeated Dobby, rubbing his chin with his hand. "Dobby thinks he's seen it, Harry Potter!"  
  
"Really?" asked Harry, daring to hope. "Think you can get it back?"  
  
"Oh, yes," Dobby nodded. "Normally we dot not take things, but if Harry Potter says the necklace has been stolen, then Dobby believes him." His eyes widened suddenly. "Dobby remembers where!"  
  
He snapped his fingers and in a moment dissipated into thin air.  
  
"Dobby!" whispered Harry, not knowing if the little elf could still hear him. "Don't get caught!"  
  
He waited for an answer, though none came. Well, he thought, I'm sure he knows what he's doing.  
  
He removed his glasses once more. Reaching over and shutting off the light, he lay back on his bed, trying to clear his mind. But several thoughts were stubbornly refusing to be cast aside so easily.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry awoke slowly, becoming faintly aware of the morning's waning hours from the bright glow through his eyelids. Opening one eye, he spied beams of sunlight streaming through the infirmary's windows, illuminating tiny particles of dust floating in the air like so many dancing fairies. He opened the other eye and squinted, waiting to become used to the late morning brightness.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
He turned his head and saw Hermione's blurry outline, sitting on a chair at his bedside. She leaned over, handing him his glasses.  
  
"How are you feeling this morning?" she asked.  
  
Harry stretched his arms over his head. "Okay, I guess," he said. He thought back to the night before. "Hey, how's Ron?"  
  
"Oh, he's fine now," answered Hermione, smiling slightly. "He knew something was up when he got to the Common Room and everyone there started to laugh. He figured it was Ginny."  
  
Harry sat up and piled up his pillows behind his back, when his hand came into contact with a strange object. His fingers groped beneath the pillows, feeling a bunch of hard, loosely bound pieces. Pulling it out, he held it up in front of him for inspection. His spirits lifted; it was Luna's necklace.  
  
Hermione stared at it, looking stunned. "Harry! How'd you get that? You didn't leave the Hospital Wing in the middle of the night, did you?"  
  
"No, no," Harry assured her, "I asked Dobby to look for it last night, he must have brought it here while I was sleeping." He smiled at Hermione. "This is going to make someone really happy."  
  
She smiled back at him, but Harry thought he saw a trace of sadness in her eyes.  
  
"Hermione, you okay?"  
  
She nodded. "Oh yes, I'm fine," she said, sighing. "Harry, I didn't want to tell you this yesterday, after everything that happened..."  
  
"What is it?" asked Harry, curiosity and concern ebbing together.  
  
Hermione looked at him. "It's just that...well...I was so wrong about Luna, Harry," she said sadly. "You know, I used to think she was just so, well, absurd, really, or loony, as Ron would say..."  
  
"Well, I wouldn't fret about it too much," said Harry. "I mean, we all pretty much thought that way last year, at least at first, anyway. But you're getting along fine with her now, aren't you?"  
  
"Well, yes," she conceded. "You know, when I was lying there yesterday, I could still hear everything going on...she did really well against Lestrange, Harry. She fought her to a standoff, really..."  
  
Harry shifted his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. "I've been thinking about that too," he said, the spell she'd cast upon him still vivid in his mind.  
  
Hermione leaned closer. "Harry...it doesn't strike you as a little odd?"  
  
"What?" he asked. "That spell? "  
  
"No," said Hermione, shaking her head. "Although I have to admit I'd like to know more about that too...but actually, I was wondering how she seemed to know Lestrange was there, didn't you notice? Yet Dumbledore said she'd been hiding under a disillusionment charm, didn't he?"  
  
Harry said nothing. Luna had told him about her ability to see things as they are, but he'd also promised her he wouldn't discuss the matter with others. He felt uncomfortable about having to keep a secret from Hermione, who he trusted implicitly, but a promise was a promise. He stood up and changed the subject.  
  
"Listen," he said, "I'm going to ask Madam Pomfrey if I can get out of here. There's still half a weekend left and I don't want to spend it in - "  
  
"Harry," pressed Hermione, "How could Luna see her?"  
  
Harry held his breath. He was determined not to go back on his word, but the last thing he wanted now was for Hermione to get some idea in her head...  
  
He looked at Hermione, who was gazing at him expectantly. If he didn't tell her, she might go off and ask Luna directly, or worse, what if she made mention of it to others? Well, he thought, better she finds out now...  
  
He slowly sat back down. "Okay, look," he began, "You have to promise me not to tell anyone what I'm going to tell you, okay?"  
  
Hermione nodded. "I promise, Harry," she said softly.  
  
"Good," he said. "Because I told her I wouldn't tell anyone. But you were bound to find out anyway, the way you were going..."  
  
He took a deep breath. "Okay," he said, "Remember that night I went down to try and help her sneak by Filch?"  
  
Hermione nodded. "After she came back from the forest, I remember."  
  
"Yeah, well, that wasn't all," he said. "She could see me through my cloak."  
  
Hermione's brown eyes widened. "Really?"  
  
"Oh yeah," he answered. "In fact, I think she didn't even knew I had the cloak on until she got really close; she almost blew my cover right in front of Filch."  
  
Hermione looked lost in thought. "But...Harry...how?" she frowned.  
  
"Well I'm not sure exactly," said Harry. "But I asked her about it yesterday. She told me that she can see things for what they are, and that her mother could, too...that's why she could see Lestrange."  
  
Hermione sank back in her chair. "Wow." she said simply, stunned. "That's really odd, Harry."  
  
"So now you know," he said. "You're not going to think she's weird or anything, are you?"  
  
She looked at him with a shocked expression. "Harry," she said, in a hurtful voice, "I wouldn't think that...it's one thing to have that ability, quite another to believe in Snorkacks. Anyway, if it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't even be here today."  
  
Harry's expression softened. "Me either, actually," he said softly. "I've been thinking about that since last night."  
  
He thought carefully. Should he tell Luna about Hermione's inquiry? He'd promised her he wouldn't tell anyone, but the thought of hiding anything from Luna wasn't appealing.  
  
He looked down at her necklace. "Well," he said, "I'm going to go bring this back to her. It's the least I can do."  
  
"Okay," said Hermione as he made his way to Madam Pomfrey's desk.  
  
* * *  
  
By now the whole school knew about their encounter with Lestrange. But as the morning wore on, Harry noted that for some reason everyone seemed under the impression that he'd been the one who'd fought her off, as though he'd been the only one involved.  
  
If only, Harry thought to himself. He would've wanted nothing more than a chance to get back at Lestrange. Instead he'd been nearly killed, Ron had been stunned and Hermione paralysed, and Luna had been the one who'd finally driven her off. But no matter how hard he tried to set the record straight, everyone seemed to think he was joking. It was he who'd defeated the most feared Death Eater in Voldemort's camp, as far as they were concerned, and nothing he said seemed to dissuade them from their perceptions. The mere mention of Luna's name only brought laughs and comments of "Yeah, Right!" or "Good one, Harry!"  
  
He'd wandered around the school looking for Luna, but there had been no sign of her anywhere. He was heading back to the Gryffindor tower to see if Ron was still there when he came across the notice board in the hall near the Fat Lady. A couple of Gryffindor second years were pointing at the board and talking excitedly. Harry glanced over as he walked by, stopping in his tracks at what his eyes had glimpsed.  
  
There, on the board, was what appeared to be the cover of a newsletter, entitled 'The Hogwarts Express' in an elaborate Victorian font. Moving closer, he reread the headline to ensure his eyes hadn't deceived him:  
  
HARRY POTTER SAVES HOGWARTS  
DUELS DEATH EATER  
  
"What?!" he exclaimed out loud, making the two girls in front of him jump.  
  
"Hey, you're him!" one of them said gleefully.  
  
His temper rose quickly, not bothering to acknowledge the girls. He reached over them and ripped the poster from the wall, quickly skimming through the article. No wonder everyone's thinking I did it, he thought. Why's Colin making all this up?  
  
It was past eleven o'clock. Lunch would be served in the Great Hall shortly, but he wasn't in any mood now for chitchat. He decided instead to go for a walk outside, hoping it would take his mind off his frustration. He marched off in the direction of the main hall.  
  
"Hey, we weren't finished reading that!" one of the girls protested loudly behind him as he stalked away, the article clenched angrily in his hand.  
  
He was steaming, not even looking at the people he passed in the halls who were trying to congratulate him on his great 'victory'. I'm going to throttle Colin, he told himself.  
  
He marched through the main hall and out into the courtyard, starting to cross the large sun-drenched enclosure when he spotted Luna sitting on the short stone wall beside one of the large sandstone pillars, seemingly engrossed in a book, her feet dangling playfully over the edge. His black mood immediately began to lift as he felt into his coat pocket for her butterbeer cap necklace.  
  
"Hi Luna," he said, "Mind if I join you?"  
  
She looked up, her familiar dreamy expression gazing back at him. "Oh, hello," she said as she shifted closer to the pillar to make room for him, although it was hardly necessary; there was plenty of room next to her for two people Harry's size.  
  
He sat down next to her, Luna taking her wand out from behind her ear and marking her page with it before closing the book. She set the tome aside.  
  
"How are you getting along?" she asked, her huge silver eyes striking at this distance, pale and vibrant under the intense sunshine. Though the sun was shining down right into them, Luna's eyes were wide open in their perpetually surprised state, and she showed no signs of squinting.  
  
"Oh, I'm fine," answered Harry. "But how are you doing?"  
  
She stared at him for a moment before replying. "I'm quite well," she said. "I've been reading a wonderful book called Magical Menagerie, actually. There's lots of very interesting tidbits about rare artifacts and magical creatures; I think I'll get Daddy a copy for his birthday." She tilted her head slightly to one side. "Are you sure you're all right?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Yeah," he said, looking around the nearly deserted courtyard. Apart from a couple of Hufflepuffs near the gate entrance, they were the only students outside. His gaze fell momentarily on a handful of sparrows pecking around in the grass. "Isn't it kind of cold to be reading outside?"  
  
"Oh, I don't mind," she said conversationally. "It's nice when it's colder like this. It's quiet and I can get more reading done this way, actually."  
  
Harry nodded. He reached into his coat pocket.  
  
"Listen," he said, "I asked Dobby to keep an eye open for this, he brought it to me last night - " he held out the butterbeer cap necklace.  
  
Luna stared at it, her even wider than usual, her mouth slightly open. For just a moment Harry thought he saw a look of wonder cross Luna's face. "My necklace," she said softly, delicately taking the piece in her hands.  
  
"Uh-huh," said Harry, genuinely happy to see her bewildered expression. "I remembered you saying it was a present for your mum."  
  
"It was," she nodded, staring oddly at the necklace in her hands as if scarcely believing it was there. "I'm...rather attached to it actually." She looked back at him. "Thank you, Harry."  
  
"You're welcome," he said, pointing at the necklace. "Maybe you should hide that somewhere when you go to bed."  
  
"Oh, I do," she said. "It's the only thing I do hide, actually. But they likely know all my hiding places by now."  
  
Harry's temper flared up again. "Luna, why don't you tell Professor Flitwick about that? I'm sure he'd put a stop to all this..."  
  
She stared at Harry for several moments. "Well, it doesn't do any harm, really," she said. "This is the only thing I'm really attached to."  
  
She put the necklace around her neck. "Anyway," she said, "I'm sorry about yesterday."  
  
Harry blinked. "Sorry? What on Earth for?"  
  
"I wish I could have done better against that Lestrange lady yesterday," she said sadly. "I tried, but she was much too fast...I was quite lucky to disarm her really." Her pale eyes locked on Harry's. "I haven't forgotten about how you feel about her."  
  
Harry had no doubt she hadn't. "Luna," he said at last, "You did great, don't think any different. Hermione told me if it wasn't for you, we probably wouldn't even be here..."  
  
Luna was staring at him very intently. "Well, I'm rather glad I was, then."  
  
A thought occurred to him. "I was wondering...are you like, immune to the Killing Curse?"  
  
She tilted her head again in that pixieish expression of hers.  
  
"No," she said, "I thought you were the only one immune to that..."  
  
Harry shuddered. He still vividly remembered the day he'd lost that immunity, the same day Cedric had been killed, the day Voldemort had used Harry's own blood to return to corporeal form... "You're upset about something," said Luna after several moments of silence.  
  
He looked at her. "Yeah," he said finally, smoothing out Colin's poster he'd torn from the notice board before handing it to her. She held it up to her face, reading.  
  
She lowered the parchment and looked at him. "Oh, come on," she said. "This is upsetting you?"  
  
"Well, yeah!" said Harry. "It's not the way it happened! I don't know where Colin got his information from, but he's making me out to be some sort of hero, when you're the one that..."  
  
Luna smiled at him, folding the crumpled paper neatly and handing it back to him. "It doesn't matter who did what, you know," she said sagely. "We all came back and that's what matters, really."  
  
Harry sighed. He supposed he couldn't argue with that, but still...Luna obviously wasn't one to be burdened by ego, that much was certain.  
  
"Luna, there's something else," said Harry, his stomach twisting. "I...had to tell Hermione about your being able to see...well, see through things. She was going to figure it out, and I didn't want her to think..."  
  
"Oh, Hermione's fine," said Luna dreamily. "It's not really a secret, it's just that I find that it's better if people don't know."  
  
He blinked. He'd expected some sort of reaction, but not this one. "You're...not mad?" he asked.  
  
She stared at him; her typically surprised look even more prominent than usual. She remained silent, her pale silver eyes continuing their intense gaze as though frozen in time.  
  
"Um...are you okay?" Harry said at last.  
  
Luna finally blinked. "Oh, yes, I'm sorry," she said vaguely. Her pale eyes seemed distant, even nostalgic, as though recalling something from her past.  
  
Harry suddenly felt the same intense sadness he'd experienced when she had first told him of her disappearing belongings the year before. Had Luna become so resigned to being ridiculed and mistreated that had become unaccustomed to being treated with common decency?  
  
He couldn't think of anything to say, yet somehow he didn't feel at all uncomfortable just sitting quietly with her...he recalled the last time he'd been sitting quietly with a girl was his nerve-wracking and disastrous experience with Cho at Madame Puddifoot's the year before. But this was...well, nice, he thought.  
  
His contemplations were interrupted by the distant sound of the school bell sounding the half hour.  
  
"Oh, it's lunchtime," said Luna dreamily, sliding down gracefully from the stone wall. "Would you like to go grab a bite? I think I'll go get some pudding before it's all gone."  
  
Harry smiled, as he slid off the short wall to join her. "Yeah, let's go," he said, his irritation of a short time before now noticeably absent. 


	9. Luna's Year, Part IX

Nearly three weeks had passed since the encounter with Bellatrix Lestrange, and while Ginny ceaselessly peppered Luna with questions about what had taken place in her absence, there remained one mystery that hadn't been addressed to anyone's satisfaction.  
  
Malfoy's presence in the forest still confounded Harry and his friends; while it seemed more than likely that the Slytherin had been in some sort of meeting with Lestrange, the object of that rendezvous remained frustratingly unknown. What had Lestrange been doing hiding out in the forest so near Hogwarts, anyway? No one could answer, though this hardly satisfied Ginny.  
  
But for now, at least, her immediate concerns involved finishing an essay analyzing the Goblin Rebellion of 1612 for History of Magic class, being due for the following morning. To that end, she and Luna were heading off to the library after their last class of the day, determined to get an early start so they wouldn't miss the Halloween feast later that evening.  
  
Ginny had planned her day carefully; she'd checked out a number of books about goblins history early that morning and had brought them to the Gryffindor girls' dormitory for safekeeping, not willing to risk arriving at the library later that afternoon only to find the best reference materials had already been checked out.  
  
Luna had helped her haul the books to the library, as she could hardly lift the entire stack on her own; carrying them all the way up to the second floor library was out of the question. She could always use a levitate spell, but pushing along a large, hovering pile of books through the corridors might be interpreted as using magic in the halls, especially if she crossed paths with the cantankerous caretaker. The last thing she wanted was to give him an opportunity to take points from Gryffindor, what with the House Cup being so hotly contested.  
  
They were climbing the second tier of the staircase heading to the second floor when they passed a chattering group of Ravenclaws on their way down. The babbling quickly died down as they passed by, Ginny bracing herself for some snide remarks.  
  
None came. Ginny reached the top of the staircase with relief that she wouldn't have to endure any ribbing, not directed at her, of course, but at her friend.  
  
Her hope came to naught as a few whispered words were heard, intermixed with giggling. She glanced back just in time to see Luna stumble and crash heavily halfway up the staircase, the books falling from her grasp and tumbling down the stairs.  
  
The Ravenclaws burst into laughter, Ginny catching a glimpse of one quickly concealing a wand beneath her robes as they scurried back down the staircase out of sight, laughing all the way.  
  
"BLAST YOU!" yelled Ginny, her face flushing with anger. She dropped her books on the top landing and rushed down to her friend, who was sitting on one of the steps, rubbing her knee.  
  
"Luna!" said Ginny, almost stumbling as she crouched down next to her. "Good Lord! Are you all right? I can't believe they...oh, I'll get them!"  
  
Luna looked up at her with a blank expression. "Yes," she said vaguely, "I just hit my knee a little, I'm fine."  
  
Ginny could see the skin on Luna's knee badly scraped and bleeding. "Dang it! That was really dangerous!" she said furiously. "You could've fell all the way down - Luna, you're going to report this!"  
  
Luna looked at her. "Why?" she asked.  
  
Ginny let out a sharp breath, holding her hands out in disbelief. "Luna!" she blurted out, "You could've been seriously hurt! It's just dumb luck you weren't!"  
  
Luna had stopped rubbing her knee, gazing back at Ginny serenely. "It wouldn't do anything, you know," she said casually. She looked down the staircase. "Well, I'd better pick those up before someone comes along."  
  
She got up and moved down the staircase, gathering the scattered books as she went.  
  
Ginny felt awful. A month ago and without Luna's knowledge, she'd complained to Professor Flitwick after a fifth year Ravenclaw had hexed Luna's cauldron in Potions class, causing it to shatter, sending its contents spilling out over the workbench and floor. Naturally, Luna had received a zero score that day and had also received a severe tongue lashing from Snape for 'causing' such a mess. But while Flitwick's intentions were noble, the end result had only been a redoubling of the torment her friend now had to endure, whish she somehow did as serenely as ever. She didn't want to think what would happen if she made another complaint. She sighed in despair.  
  
She ran down and helped Luna pick up the rest of the books.  
  
They walked back up to the top floor, Ginny adding two of Luna's books onto her own pile.  
  
"I'll take those," said Luna, scooping up the books from Ginny's stack before she could stop her.  
  
"Luna!" said Ginny angrily, "You're hurt! I can carry that much, we're almost there anyway!"  
  
Luna smiled at her. "No really, I'm fine."  
  
They walked down the long hallway, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows on the stone floor from the stained glass window at the far end. "Oh, I forgot," chimed Luna, "Remus Lupin's been made the new Minister of Magic, did you know? I got an owl from Daddy this morning."  
  
Ginny looked at her as she walked. "Are you serious?"  
  
Luna nodded serenely. "Actually, Daddy says he's a very good choice. He was very upset when the Board of Governors forced him to resign from Hogwarts just because he was a werewolf, actually. Daddy said it was terribly discriminating. Anyway," she said, looking at Ginny and tilting her head, "I thought you rather liked him."  
  
"Yeah, of course I do," said Ginny. "Don't get me wrong, I'm just surprised that he got the job; I thought that him being a werewolf would make the council members pick someone else, that's all."  
  
They reached the library door and entered the large room. The place was already packed, although Ginny managed to spot a free table next to a window along the far wall. She nudged Luna and pointed towards it, crossing the library quickly lest someone beat them to it.  
  
Setting their books down, they then proceeded to get their notepads and quills out. Luna noticed one of the inkwells on the table was empty and left to get a new one from the librarian.  
  
Ginny gazed out the window with the sun shining brightly in her face, She could make out the distant figures of the Gryffindor Quidditch team practising out on the Pitch, longing to be out with them. Why don't they have as much homework as we do? she wondered. Then again, both Ron and Harry were notorious procrastinators when it came to their schoolwork, so they might be terribly in arrears for all she knew. Besides, the days were becoming shorter and they were likely to take whatever time they could get practising on the Pitch.  
  
Luna returned with a newly filled inkwell and took her seat. As they quietly discussed their essay, Ginny noticed Draco Malfoy sitting at the table in the far alcove, in heated conversation with his two dimwit henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle. She wondered what they could be discussing, perhaps it was somehow related the events of the weeks before, but she shook it off and returned to the task at hand.  
  
An hour later, Ginny sat back and gazed at her paper with satisfaction. They'd made excellent progress in a short time; Ginny was often amazed at how Luna could put her thoughts together for long stretches when doing schoolwork, given the girl's propensity for daydreams and reverie. They were now finished with the main text; all that remained was to proofread and make the necessary amendments and corrections. With three full pages, she was now confident they'd easily exceeded Professor Binns' required word count.  
  
Ginny's gaze was drawn once more to Malfoy's table. Whatever it was they were discussing, it was evidently of some importance, as they were constantly glancing around nervously, as though worried about being overheard. She looked to Luna. "You can't read lips by any chance, can you?"  
  
Luna looked up from her parchment. "No," she replied. "Why?"  
  
Ginny nodded her head towards Malfoy, Luna turning to look in the same direction.  
  
A set of Extendable Ears would be really handy right about now, thought Ginny. Luna turned back to look at her. "You're wondering what they're talking about?"  
  
"Well, yeah," whispered Ginny. "Aren't you?"  
  
Luna stared at her for several moments. She then took one of the books on the table and rose from her seat, making her way towards Malfoy's alcove.  
  
"Luna!" whispered Ginny as loudly as she dared. "What are you doing??"  
  
Either Luna didn't hear or had ignored her, walking straight up to Malfoy's table and taking a seat in the only unoccupied chair.  
  
The three Slytherins gaped at her, scarcely believing their eyes. "Oh by all means, Loony, make yourself at home, feel free to barge right on in!" hissed Malfoy.  
  
Luna smiled dreamily at him. "Thank you," she said simply, and opened her book.  
  
Malfoy glared at her. "Hey! Maybe you didn't hear me!" he said, becoming visibly irritated.  
  
Luna turned her large silver eyes on him. "You told me to make myself at home," she said serenely. "Did I misinterpret you?"  
  
Malfoy blinked. "I was being - " he said, "Oh, just get out of here, you weirdo!"  
  
"Oh, don't mind me," she said vaguely, flipping a page. "I'll just read here quietly."  
  
"You'll just - oh that's it!" exclaimed Malfoy, reaching into his robes, stopping suddenly once he caught sight of the vulture-like librarian, Madam Pince, who'd been looking severely at his table during his escalating exchange with Luna and now seemed on the verge of coming over. He slowly withdrew his hand from his robes. "Look, you little freak," he said, still seething but now trying to keep his voice down. "We're having a private discussion here. Go and read someplace else, why don't you?!"  
  
Luna casually flipped another page. "Oh, I won't interrupt," she said serenely. "This is such an interesting book, anyway...oh, look here...did you know the Goblins helped finance the Parliamentarians during the Civil War? Interesting isn't it?"  
  
"Fine!" Malfoy said, crossing his arms and nodding to his cronies. "We'll just wait you out."  
  
Five minutes of listening to Luna's soft humming of 'Weasley is our King' and watching her dreamily flipping pages had frazzled Malfoy to the end of his wits.  
  
"You're hopeless, Lovegood!" he spat, standing so fast that his chair went toppling backwards. His two companions rose also, though somewhat more slowly.  
  
She looked up at him. "Oh, are you upset? Was I humming too - "  
  
He pointed a shaking finger in her face. "I don't know how some little freak like you managed to duel Bella - " his eyes went wide, his mouth gaping open.  
  
"Yes?" said Luna vaguely. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"  
  
Malfoy slowly closed his mouth, staring down at her with a strange look. "Come on," he said to the others, "Let's get out of here."  
  
Ginny watched the Slytherins leave in a huff, her anxiety finally ebbing as Luna gracefully rose and made her way back to her table.  
  
"Good Lord Luna," said Ginny. "What were you thinking??"  
  
"Well, you wanted to find out what they were talking about, didn't you?"  
  
"Well, sure! But you know, you were just a wee bit direct about it," said Ginny. "You wouldn't make a very good spy."  
  
"Well, thank you, that's sweet of you to say. But even so, I did find out a couple of interesting things," said Luna conversationally.  
  
Ginny blinked. "You...you did? What?"  
  
Luna nodded serenely. "I overheard them mention something about needing a sieve just before I sat down."  
  
"A sieve?" asked Ginny, thinking. "Why would they need that? Maybe they're planning to make some secret potion? I wonder if that polyjuice potion Hermione made once needed a sieve or not..."  
  
"And, he definitely met with Bellatrix Lestrange that day in the forest," added Luna, absentmindedly fiddling with one of the acorns on her bracelet.  
  
Ginny gaped at her. "How do you know?" she asked.  
  
"He knows I fought with her," she said softly. "Harry told me that everyone in the school thinks it was him, because of Colin's newsletter."  
  
"So...that means...if Malfoy knows it was you," said Ginny slowly, "The only place he could have known that from was from one of us, or..."  
  
"From that Lestrange lady," Luna finished knowingly.  
  
Ginny stared at her friend in disbelief. "Maybe there's something to be said about being direct, after all," she said.  
  
Luna took her notepad and put it on her lap, quill in hand. "Shall we edit it now?"  
  
"Eh?" asked Ginny, looking at her. She'd completely forgotten about their assignment. "No, Luna," she said finally. "We'd better go tell Harry about this...besides the feast is going to start soon."  
  
She noticed the library was now considerably less crowded than before; people were undoubtedly starting to make their way down to the Great Hall.  
  
"All right," said Luna without argument, putting the stopper back in the inkwell and closing her notebook. Ginny quickly put the books back into two piles, then put away her notebook and quill in her bag.  
  
They quickly returned the books to the librarian and left the library, making for the Great Hall.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry looked up. The Great Hall's false sky was clear, twinkling with countless stars, the traditional floating candles replaced this evening by hundreds of small, brightly glowing pumpkins. He thought he'd detected a few bats fluttering about the invisible rafters, though he wondered if it had just been his imagination.  
  
He grinned. He knew Hermione had a thing about bats, if she happened to see one he'd best be prepared for a reaction on her part. Of course, even if there were bats, they were likely just illusions conjured up by Professor McGonagall to give a more convincing atmosphere for the Halloween feast.  
  
"What are we gonna do, Harry," said Ron. "Dean's not exactly turning out to be the best beater we've ever seen, is he?"  
  
Harry broke his gaze from the pumpkins above and turned to his friend. He knew Ron was right, of course. After several practices and one match, Dean had shown little if any improvement. While he was good on the broom, his hand and eye coordination left much to be desired. They had handily won their match against Hufflepuff, but their chasers had taken quite a pounding in the process.  
  
"Yeah, I know," Harry said solemnly. "But it's Andrew's job to make any changes, isn't it?"  
  
Harry didn't like the thought of dismissing Dean from the team, but he'd wondered privately what might happen in a match against Slytherin, when the scores were always so close. They couldn't afford to have a subpar beater on the team, though Dean could always be placed on the reserve list in case someone got injured. He was suddenly very thankful that he didn't have the captain's job.  
  
"He'll just have to be tactful," said Hermione. "Dean's not stuck up, I'm sure he'll be gracious."  
  
Harry wasn't so sure. Dean had been ecstatic at getting a chance to get on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and unlike Ron, didn't lack anything for confidence in his abilities. He definitely did not want to be the one to have to confront him.  
  
"Oh, here they come," said Hermione, looking down the hall.  
  
Harry looked, thinking she'd seen Andrew and Dean, but saw instead Ginny and Luna running towards them.  
  
Ginny took a seat next to Hermione, facing him. "Harry, you won't believe this!" Ginny was saying excitedly. "You were right about Malfoy, he's definitely in contact with Lestrange, and we think he might be trying to brew some sort of potion!" She turned to Hermione. "Did you need a sieve to make that polyjuice potion a few years ago?"  
  
Hermione thought for a moment. "No," she said. "Why?"  
  
By now Luna had reached them, having proceeded at a more leisurely pace, and had quietly taken a seat next to Harry.  
  
"Luna overheard him talking to Crabbe and Goyle, about needing a sieve for something," Ginny was saying. "I was thinking maybe he needs it to make some sort of potion?"  
  
Hermione seemed to considered Ginny's theory. "Well, it's possible," she said. "We've used sieves in potions class to purify ingredients before."  
  
"Yeah, but sis," said Ron, "I don't see a connection...with Lestrange, I mean."  
  
"That's the other thing," continued Ginny animatedly. "Malfoy let it slip that he couldn't believe Luna had managed to hold off Lestrange...now how could he know about that?"  
  
They all looked at each other. All except Luna, who was serenely spooning applesauce onto a bun.  
  
"That's true, isn't it?" Ron was saying, realization dawning on his face. "I mean the whole school thinks it was Harry, how could Malfoy know...?"  
  
"Exactly!" said Ginny.  
  
"Okay," said Harry. He leaned forward, his scepticism quickly evaporating. "Let's assume he is in contact with her somehow. How does a potion figure into it?" He looked around the table. "I mean, he wouldn't dare try anything in school, would he?"  
  
"Well, not directly, anyway," agreed Hermione. "But this potion theory of Ginny's...he could be making anything, for all we know. There are lots of potions that are relegated to the Dark Arts that we haven't studied....we should warn Dumbledore, Harry."  
  
"About what?" said Ron, "All we have is a theory, and no evidence besides that. We don't have any proof of anything, he'll think we're nutters!"  
  
Harry was about to argue when he was interrupted by the familiar sound of Professor McGonagall chiming for silence, tapping her glass with her spoon to get everyone's attention.  
  
The Great Hall quickly became silent as Professor Dumbledore rose. "I have an announcement to make," he began. "Although it does not impact Hogwarts directly, I believe that many of you would be interested to know that I have just recently received notice that one of your former teachers, Remus Lupin, has been named Minister of Magic."  
  
"Yes!" exclaimed Harry as the hall erupted in cheers. Although many of the students had not been present during Lupin's short stint as teacher, he'd made such a positive impression that his popularity had endured to this day. Harry felt a satisfaction at the thought of Lupin's improving fortunes, being well aware that Lupin had been forced to resign from his teaching duties due to his lycanthropy. He glanced at the Slytherin table to gauge Malfoy's reaction, but was surprised to see him absent.  
  
"Now then...enjoy the rest of the feast!" called the Headmaster, as he sat back down, McGonagall leaning over and engaging him in whispered conversation.  
  
Harry noticed a knowing smile pass between Luna and Ginny, though he could only guess as to its significance. At any rate he was busy filling up his plate, having skipped lunch earlier that day to catch up on his schoolwork, having to compensate for their afternoon Quidditch practice.  
  
"Dad's going to be really keen on this," Ron was saying as he was piling drumsticks onto his plate. "He'll get to keep his job and he won't have anybody breathing down his neck anymore."  
  
"Well, Daddy was quite pleased about Remus Lupin being chosen," Luna chimed in, spooning some baby carrots in a circle around her bun. "He said it was terrible how the Ministry forced him to resign from Hogwarts."  
  
Harry turned to her. "You knew?"  
  
She nodded serenely. "Daddy sent me an owl this morning," she said, gingerly nibbling on a devilled egg.  
  
"And you know Lupin won't waste any time getting down to business," added Hermione. "I think it was brilliant to put someone from the Order there, this way they can finally start coordinating their efforts with the Ministry."  
  
"What's Fudge going to do now, I wonder?" mused Ron. "Doesn't seem the type to just sit back and do nothing, does he?"  
  
"He did plenty of nothing when he headed the Ministry," argued Ginny. "Unless it was persecuting people's rights or - "  
  
"Daddy often said he felt Cornelius Fudge was under the Imperius Curse," chimed Luna, serenely dissecting a coconut cupcake. "To keep the Ministry quiet and all."  
  
Hermione frowned, seemingly lost in thought. "You know," she said, "I wouldn't be all that surprised if that were true? It would certainly explain a lot..."  
  
They continued discussing Lupin's appointment over dinner, a while later Harry noticing Filch shuffle quickly over to the High Table and whispering something to Snape, who quickly said a few words to Dumbledore before leaving abruptly.  
  
What was that about, wondered Harry.  
  
"I'd be interested to know what Minister Lupin will do with all those Heliopaths now," said Luna dreamily to no one in particular, bringing Harry's attention back to the discussion at hand.  
  
"Uh, what?" he said, glancing across the table and seeing Hermione struggling visibly to swallow her instinctive riposte.  
  
"Well, they were under Cornelius Fudge's control before," said Luna matter- of-factly. "I wonder if they'll answer to Minister Lupin now."  
  
"Uh, well," said Harry quickly, as Hermione was rolling her eyes and seemed on the verge of bursting with counterarguments. "We'll be sure to ask him next time we see him."  
  
"Luna," said Hermione tightly, "Have you ever...seen a Heliopath?"  
  
Harry held his breath. "Not personally," said Luna, "But there are lots of eyewitness accounts...Daddy even wrote several articles about them in The Quibbler."  
  
"It's rubbish," said Ron in between mouthfuls of chicken. Harry winced.  
  
"Excuse me," replied Luna coolly, "But it isn't."  
  
"They don't exist," Ron shot back.  
  
"Oh yes they do!" said Luna hotly. Harry got the distinct impression if he hadn't been sitting between the two of them she might have slapped Ron on the back of the head. He wished Ron would learn from Hermione's example, namely of avoiding criticizing the Quibbler, at least in Luna's presence.  
  
"Anyway," interrupted Harry, "We should keep a close watch on Malfoy from now on. We should keep track of his movements too, see maybe if there's a pattern, anything we can pick up on. We've got to try and find out what he's up to."  
  
"Maybe we should bring this up at the next DA meeting," suggested Hermione thoughtfully. "That way we can have people in the other Houses keeping their eyes and ears open too."  
  
"Good idea," agreed Harry.  
  
They continued eating dinner for a time until Harry spied Snape walking briskly up the centre aisle, coming before the Headmaster. He leaned over and whispered something to Dumbledore, who immediately stood and followed the Potions Master out of the hall. McGonagall, who'd heard the exchange, had a concerned look on her face.  
  
By now everyone had noticed the Headmaster's abrupt departure, and the normally clamorous hall suddenly became riddled in a sea of whispers.  
  
"Hang on," Harry told the others. "I'm going to find out what that was all about." He got up from his seat and walked down to the Transfiguration teacher.  
  
"Excuse me, Professor," he said. "We're all wondering...is everything all right? I mean Professor Dumbledore left so quickly, was there an emergency?"  
  
McGonagall looked up at him, severely at first but then her expression softened somewhat. "Oh, very well," she said finally. "I suppose you'd find out regardless. Someone has stolen the Headmaster's pensieve."  
  
"What?" Harry said, disbelieving, "But I thought no one could get into his office without the password?"  
  
"It was not in his office, Mr. Potter," she elaborated. "Professor Snape had borrowed it for your occlumency lessons. Apparently the door to his office had been forced. They've gone to investigate the scene."  
  
"Oh..." said Harry. "Well, okay, thank you, Professor." He slowly returned to his seat.  
  
"What happened?" asked Hermione as Harry settled back down.  
  
"Someone stole Dumbledore's pensieve," he replied, staring at the food on his plate. He didn't feel much like eating anymore. "It was in Snape's office."  
  
"What's a pensieve?" asked Luna curiously.  
  
Harry looked at her. He suddenly remembered that he'd never told her about it. As far as students from the other Houses knew, Harry was taking remedial potions. But he could make an exception for Luna, surely!  
  
"It's... kind of a bowl, Professor Dumbledore uses it to keep memories in there that he doesn't want accidentally discovered...Snape was borrowing it for my occlumency lessons. Don't tell anyone about that, though."  
  
Luna's eyes suddenly grew even wider than usual. "What's wrong?" asked Harry.  
  
She turned to Ginny, who was looking back at her with a similarly apprehensive look.  
  
"Pensieve!" said Ginny.  
  
"It may have been," nodded Luna.  
  
"What may have been?" asked Hermione curiously, leaning closer.  
  
Ginny turned to her. "Luna thought she'd overheard Malfoy talking about a sieve," she said as Hermione's expression suddenly turned to one of comprehension. "I bet he was talking about that pensieve," she added.  
  
"But what would Malfoy want the pensieve for?" asked Ron, his drumsticks getting cold and forgotten on his plate.  
  
"Oh no." said Hermione, looking very worried. She looked over at Harry. "Do you think...the Prophecy?"  
  
Harry suddenly felt a chill. Dumbledore had heard the Prophecy, he knew...would that memory be contained in the pensieve? He glanced quickly at the Slytherin table. There was still no sign of Malfoy. An alarming thought came to him.  
  
"He's taking it to Lestrange," said Harry.  
  
The same thought had crossed Hermione's mind. "If she takes it to Voldemort..." she whispered, her brown eyes wide.  
  
Harry stood up quickly. "I've got to stop him," he said, turning to leave. Hermione grabbed hold of his sleeve.  
  
"Harry wait!" she cried, as she rose from her seat. "We have to tell Dumbledore! We have to let him know - "  
  
"He's already come to the same conclusion, Hermione!" countered Harry, trying to shake himself free from her grip. "You saw how he left!"  
  
"But - " Hermione finally lost her grip as Harry ran out of the hall.  
  
He ran out into the main corridor. How would Malfoy get to Hogsmeade? His mind raced. The route wasn't important, he decided. He just needed to get there, and quickly.  
  
He wasn't very far from the Whomping Willow. He was just about to break out into a run when Hermione's voice called out behind him.  
  
"Harry, Wait!"  
  
He turned around to see Hermione, Ron, Luna and Ginny run up to him. "You can't do this by yourself," said Hermione. "If you're really determined to do this, then we're coming with you."  
  
Though they all looked apprehensive, not really knowing where lay in wait, they were all determined to accompany Harry on his mission. All that is, except Luna, whose dreamy expression seemed to convey all the drama of an evening stroll in the park. 


	10. Luna's Year, Part X

Harry could barely detect the faint outline of the Whomping Willow before him. The sky was almost cloudless, though with the moon only a quarter full, his visibility was limited. He could hear the muffled crunch of dried leaves beneath his feet as he approached, coming to a stop a few metres from the base. Though it was as still as any tree at the moment, Harry knew that to get any closer was taking a significant risk. He scanned the leafy grass around his feet.  
  
"Look for a stick," he said to the others.  
  
"Lumos," said Ron, illuminating his wand, the others following suit. It wasn't easy to find anything with the ground so covered in leaves, but a few moments later Ginny called out: "I've got it!"  
  
"Okay," said Harry, taking the stick. "I'll poke the knot; when I give the word, you all make a run for the tunnel."  
  
They all gathered around Harry as held out the stick. It wobbled frustratingly due to its length, taking Harry several tries for him to get the tip on the knot.  
  
"Okay," he said at last, "That should do it. Get in the tunnel quick!"  
  
They all scurried for the base of the tree, and for one heart-stopping moment Harry thought he'd seen the upper branches move, though as it turned out had only been caused by a sudden gust of wind.  
  
When they'd all disappeared beneath the surface, Harry moved closer to the entrance, sliding his hands along the stick as he went. When about halfway there, the back end of the branch tipped downwards, causing the front end to lift from the knot. Quickly dropping the stick, Harry sprinted the last few feet, clambering down the ancient steps into the darkness below.  
  
His friends were waiting a bit further down, holding their illuminated wands aloft, casting an eerie , artificial glow on the ancient tunnel's overgrown walls. All were shivering, being clad only in their indoor robes, as the temperatures had dropped considerably since the afternoon.  
  
"Okay," said Harry, seeing his breath steaming up the frigid air as he spoke. "Let's go."  
  
They walked along the dank, cold tunnel, ducking under hanging vines and subterranean branches as they went, often stumbling over roots which had pushed up through the stones over the centuries. The cold was becoming so intense that Harry's fingers were getting numb. He was starting to wish he'd taken the time to get his coat and gloves.  
  
They were more than halfway to Hogsmeade by Harry's reckoning, when he thought he spied a flicker of light in the distance. He stopped, the others halting right behind. He strained to see, but his eyes could see nothing but darkness up ahead now. Had it just been his imagination?  
  
"What is it?" asked Hermione, coming to stand next to him.  
  
"I thought I saw something," said Harry. "Turn your wands off."  
  
The tunnel quickly pitched into darkness, his eyes not detecting a single feature around him. He stared straight ahead; there was no doubt now, there was a very faint glow emanating in the distance down the tunnel, though they could just barely detect it, with all the vines and cobwebs over the distance obscuring their vision.  
  
After what seemed like a minute or so, they began to see the light more clearly. It was definitely wandlight moving towards them. Harry could also detect the sound of footsteps echoing down towards them.  
  
"Harry," whispered Hermione, drawing closer, "Do you think it could be Malfoy?"  
  
"I'm not sure," he said truthfully. He turned around to the others, though he couldn't really see them in any detail. "Everyone get ready," he whispered, "If that's Malfoy and his gang, we've going to stop them."  
  
He turned back around. The light was closer now, and he could see it was coming from several sources, several figures being silhouetted against the glow. He got his wand in the ready position.  
  
He could make them out more clearly now, the lead figure being almost within a stone's throw. He knew that the approaching wandlight would illuminate him any moment now. He waited with baited breath.  
  
They were only a few metres from him when Malfoy's face came into sight, an expression of shock clearly visible.  
  
"Potter!" he blurted. "Crabbe! Goyle! Cast your - "  
  
"Expelliarmus!"  
  
"Jellatino Brachy!"  
  
"Petrificus Totalus!"  
  
"Stupefy!"  
  
"Tarantallegra!"  
  
Several jets of multi-coloured light shot past either side of Harry, his own Expelliarmus jinx catching Malfoy flush in the chest, shooting the Slytherin backwards into his cronies and sending them all tumbling to the floor.  
  
"Accio wand!" shouted Hermione, Malfoy's wand instantly flying up into her outstretched hand.  
  
Harry ran forward, wand at the ready, his friends fanning out on either side of him. It quickly became evident that their opposition was in no condition to respond, Malfoy having been hit by Hermione's Stupefy spell and Goyle rendered immobile by Ginny's Petrificus jinx. Only Crabbe was still conscious, though he was rather busy trying to keep his jelly-like legs from dancing uncontrollably.  
  
"Lumos," Harry said, his wand throwing off enough light so they could see clearly.  
  
"Silencio," Ron said, the ray from his wand catching Crabbe in the shoulder. "Best not to let him call out, I figured," he said as he caught Harry's bemused stare.  
  
"Adligo Corpula," said Luna, several long ropes shooting out of from wand and wrapping themselves around the three Slytherins.  
  
"Hey wait!" said Ron. "Can't we take their coats? It's freezing in here..."  
  
"No, Ron!" Hermione scolded him as he tugged at Goyle's overcoat. "They won't be able to move around to keep warm down here! They could get hypothermia!"  
  
"Yeah, and?" asked Ron, but upon seeing Hermione's angry glare he reluctantly released his grip on Goyle's sleeve. "Oh, fine then," he muttered.  
  
"Anybody see the pensieve anywhere?" asked Harry, holding his wand aloft and checking the floor around them.  
  
The others quickly illuminated their wands, but after a short search it became obvious the pensieve wasn't to be found.  
  
"They've already delivered it," concluded Harry, looking at Hermione. She looked back at him with a look of apprehension.  
  
He looked back down the corridor. "Come on," he said. "Maybe we're not too late. If Lestrange hasn't left yet..."  
  
He started walking briskly down the corridor towards the Shrieking Shack, the others rushing to keep up with him.  
  
He kept up his pace for several minutes, stumbling several times over numerous vines and roots. Finally the stone staircase loomed into view ahead of him. He approached cautiously. As he inched closer, he crouched down and stared at the roof of the tunnel, seeing the trapdoor leading up to the Shrieking Shack was securely shut.  
  
"We don't know what we're going to find here," he said. "But let's be ready for anything." He turned and walked up the steps until he was just beneath the trapdoor. "Lights out," he whispered.  
  
The tunnel was plunged once more into darkness. He waited a few moments to let his eyes adjust, though it hardly helped; there wasn't a light source anywhere. He groped along the edge of the trapdoor with his hand until it was against the far side opposite the hinges. He pushed up, trying to open it just a crack so he could peer out.  
  
It didn't budge. He took a breath and pushed harder. Still nothing.  
  
Blast, he thought, it wasn't this hard last time.  
  
He braced his back against the steps, raising his other hand. He went to put his wand in his back pocket but wisely decided against it. If he should need it quickly...  
  
He thought for a moment and chuckled to himself looking back down to where Luna might be standing as he gingerly slid his wand behind his ear.  
  
He pressed both hands flat against the door and heaved against it. Not getting any result, he pushed as hard as he possibly could, his arms shaking under the strain. The trapdoor remained resolutely shut.  
  
He grabbed his wand. "Lumos."  
  
He held it up to the door, looking for a locking mechanism.  
  
"What is it?" whispered Hermione, climbing up the steps to join him.  
  
"I think it's locked," said Harry, breathing a bit heavily after his vain efforts at forcing the door. "I can't see one on this side though. Hermione, can your spell open locks you can't see?"  
  
"I don't think so, but - " she whispered, taking out her wand and pointing it at the front part of the trapdoor.  
  
"Alohomora," she said, a small reddish glow emerging from her wand. They couldn't detect the telltale sound of a locking mechanism from the other side.  
  
After a few moments Harry put his wand back behind his ear. "Nox," he said, as they plunged back into darkness. "Well," he whispered, "Let me try this again."  
  
He pushed as hard as he could, again with both hands. Nothing moved. He gave up quickly, fumbling for his wand.  
  
"Lumos," he whispered. "What gives?? Doesn't seem to be locked, but it won't open..."  
  
"It may be jinxed, Harry," suggested Hermione. "You know, if Lestrange is using the place as a hideout, it would make sense that there might be wards - "  
  
Harry considered that. "Maybe," He said thoughtfully. "Okay, Hermione get back down - "  
  
He waited for Hermione to clamber back down the steps before moving down to join her. He turned to face back towards the trapdoor, taking good aim with his wand.  
  
"Harry, wait!" said Hermione. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I'll try blasting through," he said. "A Reductor spell should do it, or at least punch a hole in it."  
  
"Are you crazy?" countered Ron. "If there's somebody up there we won't have much of an element of surprise left, will we?"  
  
Harry looked at him. "Well, if you have a better idea, now's the time."  
  
Ron blinked at him, his brow furrowing in thought. "Eh," he said at last, "Not really, I guess."  
  
"Right then," said Harry. "Everyone get ready." He took careful aim at the trapdoor.  
  
"Reductio!" he said, an intense red streak of light shooting forth from his wand and striking the trapdoor, blowing it open with a resounding bang, a cry of surprise sounding down through the opening.  
  
"Now!" Cried Harry, running up the stone steps and emerging into a small, dimly lit room. He quickly spun in all directions, his eyes catching sight of a large form on the floor next to him, struggling to get up. He pointed his wand at the gray-haired man, wearing the familiar Death Eater's black cloak.  
  
"Stupefy!" he said, his wand striking the stranger on the side of the head. The man crumpled back to the floor and lay motionless.  
  
By now Hermione and Ron had joined him, the others close behind, rushing up the steps. "Who's that?" asked Ron, poking the form on the floor with his foot.  
  
"I don't know, a Death Eater, I think," answered Harry. It was then he then realized that the man had likely been standing on the trapdoor itself. There was nothing in the room except a small grimy table and an old chair, along with a myriad assortment of dusty cobwebs. A single door to his right provided the only other exit.  
  
Ginny grabbed the man's wand and stashed it away in her robes, while Luna had used her wand to bind him with magical ropes.  
  
Harry grabbed hold of the door handle. "Okay, everyone ready?"  
  
Seeing their nods, he opened the door a crack and peered through it. Seeing no one, he opened it a bit wider and stuck his head through, seeing a large room beyond, a few decaying pieces of furniture being its only occupants at the moment. He walked in cautiously, wand held at the ready.  
  
There were two open doorways leading from the room, leading into darkness. He could see nothing moving, though he knew that anyone in there could likely see him clearly, silhouetted as he was against the light from the doorway.  
  
He'd begun to slowly edge his way into the doorway on the right when he heard a shriek, followed by Stupefy! uttered by an unfamiliar voice.  
  
He ran back in to find Ginny lying on the floor, the others moving around her with their wands drawn. Ron, seeing her unconscious form on the floor, charged immediately into the other room.  
  
"Ron wait!" called Harry, but a cacophony of shouts and yells told him it was already too late. He charged after him, Hermione and Luna just behind.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" several voices cried out at once, jets of golden light sending him reeling backwards into his friends, all three collapsing heavily to the floor. Ron was lying next to him in a rigid posture that was indicative of magical paralysis.  
  
"Accio wand!" someone called out. Harry reached out desperately for his wand a split second too late. It flew straight up into the hand of a hooded figure standing directly before him. A similarly clad individual to his right had just summoned Luna's wand.  
  
Hermione's arm jerked out, having barely managed to keep hold of hers. She scrambled quickly to her feet, pointing her wand at the figure directly before her. "Petrificus - "  
  
"Expelliarmus!" A jet of light from the far left corner of the room struck Hermione, sending her spinning through the air and crashing down next to Harry. He dove for her loose wand, but another flash of light sent him tumbling backwards, colliding into the doorframe. Hermione's wand slipped quietly through the air to the gloved hand of the cloaked figure before him.  
  
"Well, well," the stranger in the centre said, clearly a woman's voice though it did not have Lestrange's tone. "It seems we some uninvited guests this night."  
  
"Who are you?" Harry called out groggily.  
  
She took a step towards him. "Who I am is of no concern of yours. But I'm afraid we cannot allow you interfere with our plans Mr. Potter," she said.  
  
Harry froze. He'd been recognized!  
  
But then, after last year's article in The Quibbler, everyone doubtlessly knew him by sight alone now.  
  
The stranger turned towards Hermione, who had slowly pushing herself into a sitting position, one hand holding her head painfully. "And as for your friends..." she raised her wand.  
  
"No!" Harry said when the woman pointed her wand at Hermione. Harry prepared to lunge, when he saw Luna scramble to her feet and stand before Hermione, shielding her from the stranger's wand.  
  
"L-Luna..." Hermione whispered, "Don't..."  
  
"Oh, how sweet," the woman said mockingly. "Very well then, you've just bought your friend another few seconds of existence. Avada Kadavra!"  
  
Harry saw an intense green light erupt from the woman's wand and strike Luna squarely in the chest, having made no effort to dodge it. She staggered backward a half-step and fell to her knees, her gaze meeting Harry's, her silver eyes filled with sadness, before collapsing limply to the floor.  
  
An intense surge of rage shot through Harry. He'd lost another soul to Voldemort's minions.  
  
"NOOOOOOO!!!!" he screamed, barely registering the sight of the three hooded figures shrieking in confusion and suddenly dropping their wands as though they'd just been taken out of an oven. He scrambled to his feet and staggered towards the woman in the centre, fully intending to destroy her with his bare hands...  
  
"My wand!" Hermione's voice called out. She scampered along the floor near him.  
  
The woman retreated as he advanced on her. "No! Stay back!" she cried out, sliding a chair in his path.  
  
He kicked it out of the way, barely noticing a flash of light and the sound of someone on his left crumple to the floor. There were more shouts, another flash of light, the sounds of running footsteps -  
  
He ignored it all. He lunged forward.  
  
"Stop!" the woman screamed as she backed into the wall. "Cease your advance!"  
  
Harry grabbed a hold of the woman's robes.  
  
"I surrender!" she yelled.  
  
Harry was just about to take a swing at her when he felt Hermione hanging onto his arm with all her strength. "H-Harry don't!"  
  
Harry tried to shake her loose but Hermione hung on desperately with her full weight.  
  
"Hermione!" he yelled at her through clenched teeth, "She KILLED Luna!!"  
  
"I didn't kill ANYONE!" the woman said vociferously.  
  
"OH NO???" Harry yelled back, tears streaming down his face, pointing at Luna's body on the floor behind him. "WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT??"  
  
He saw the woman's shoulders sag. She gave a loud sigh. "All right," she said defeatedly. She slowly raised her hands and pulled the hood down from her head.  
  
Harry blinked. A dark-haired woman he couldn't recognize stood before him. "WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO PROVE?" he screamed, barely aware of Hermione's attempts to restrain him.  
  
The woman stared at him. Harry blinked again. She didn't look the same, no wait...her appearance...it was changing before his eyes!  
  
Hermione gasped, letting go of Harry.  
  
The woman's silky black hair had turned into a spiky pink colour.  
  
"Well...hello, Harry," she said.  
  
"T...Tonks?!?" Harry managed to sputter.  
  
She nodded. "This wasn't exactly the best time for you to show up," she said heavily. "I was really starting to get somewhere..."  
  
Harry's mind was swimming...but why had she... "But...but you killed..."  
  
Tonks smiled sadly. "No, of course, I didn't," she said.  
  
"You cast the curse! I saw you cast it! You - "  
  
"No, look, Harry," said Tonks, pointing to her wand on the floor. "I use a specially modified Aurors wand...it allows me to utter Unforgivable Curses but it only casts non-lethal spells at the target. In my case, the Killing Curse is automatically converted to Stupefy. Your friend is only stunned, really, that's all."  
  
Harry released his grip on her robes. "Are you...serious?"  
  
She nodded. Could it be? Dare he hope...  
  
He stumbled back and dropped to the ground beside Luna. He held her thin wrist in his hand, feeling for a pulse.  
  
He looked up at Hermione, who'd joined him, her own face streaming with tears.  
  
"It's...it's true..." said Harry with unimaginable relief, feeling a faint pulse with his shaking fingers. "She's alive, Hermione!" he said, rolling over onto his back and laughing out loud, feeling exhilarated and exhausted all at once...  
  
"Ouch...ouch..." Tonks was juggling her wand painfully in her hands, taking a scarf out from her cloak and wrapping it around the handle. She came and joined Harry and Hermione, who were by now quite drained.  
  
"What...are you doing here?" asked Hermione as Tonks crouched down next to them.  
  
"Well, I can't really get into details," said Tonks. "I can tell you that we managed to capture a Death Eater by the name of Sabbatha Minstrome a few months ago; then we let it 'leak out' that she'd escaped from Azkaban, which wasn't true of course, but it was a perfect way for me to infiltrate their operations...anyway, that's why I have this wand," she help up the scarf-wrapped wand for her to see. "That way I can make it look like I'm casting Unforgivable Curses without actually hurting anyone. Came in pretty handy today, didn't it? By the way, Harry," she said, an air of seriousness in her voice, "How'd you do that, anyhow?"  
  
By now Harry had pushed himself up into a sitting position, his glasses clutched in one hand, wiping his eyes with the other. "Do what?" he asked.  
  
Tonks nodded at Luna. "Right after your little friend there fell down," she said, "My wand got too hot to hold in a matter of seconds," she looked around. "Same things happened to the others too, from the looks of it."  
  
Harry looked at her. "I...I did that?"  
  
"Yeah, bloody burnt my fingers!" she said, holding up her reddish digits to Harry.  
  
Harry looked confusedly at her. "I don't...well...it's happened a few times before, when I get really mad, things seem to happen. I made my cousin Dudley to fall into a snake pen in a zoo once," he said. "But I don't really know how to control it or anything..."  
  
Tonks raised her eyebrows. "Well, I'll just have to make sure I never tick you off again there, Harry," she said. "Anyway, you'd better get back to the castle, I don't think you've blown my cover, really, so I can probably just - "  
  
"We can't!" Harry protested. "We have to get Professor Dumbledore's pensieve back!"  
  
"Oh, that's why you came here!" Tonks exclaimed, "Well...I'm sorry to say you went through all this for nothing, then, Harry."  
  
"What?" exclaimed Harry, glancing at Hermione. "But Malfoy took the pensieve from Snape's office, I'm sure of it!"  
  
Tonks giggled. "Oh, yeah, that he did, all right," she said. "He was supposed to bring it here, but as it turned out, there's a charm on it that prevents it from leaving the Castle, Dumbledore's doing, I imagine. Anyhow, Malfoy came to tell us that he had to leave it there, just at the entrance to the castle. Really nasty he was about it too."  
  
"Oh, great," said Harry, exasperated. He looked to Hermione.  
  
"You were right, Hermione. If I'd listened to you, none of this would've happened," he said despondently.  
  
Hermione blinked, her eyes still reddish from tears. "Harry?"  
  
"You wanted to tell Dumbledore," said Harry tiredly. "If we had, he would have told us all about that charm..."  
  
"Well..." said Hermione, smiling consolingly at him, "We wouldn't have had the chance to stun Malfoy, though..."  
  
Harry smiled weakly. That much was true, he supposed. But looking at Luna's unconscious form next to him, he felt a deep feeling of apprehension...if it hadn't been for Tonks masquerading as a Death Eater, the young Ravenclaw would certainly be lying there dead right now, all because of his impulsiveness...  
  
"Enervate," said Tonks, waving her wand over Luna, a soft orange glow covering her form briefly. Luna started to slowly come to. Tonks got up to go revive Ron and Ginny.  
  
"Luna?" said Hermione gently, taking the girl's hand in hers.  
  
Luna's eyes fluttered open. She took a few moments to focus and sat up abruptly.  
  
"Owww," she said, immediately grabbing her painfully throbbing head with both hands.  
  
"Whoa, Luna," said Harry, "Take it easy..."  
  
"Everything's okay, Luna," said Hermione reassuringly. "They're gone now."  
  
Luna slowly raised her head and looked at them both in turn, her silver eyes pained and confused. "Harry...Hermione?" she said, her voice strained. "What...are you..."  
  
Harry could hear Ron groaning behind him. "It's a...well, we'd better explain it when we get back, Luna," said Harry. "How are you feeling though?" he asked, his immense relief not enough to counteract his genuine concern.  
  
"I've...been better," said Luna quietly, gingerly moving to a kneeling position.  
  
"We have to get back to the castle, Luna," said Hermione. "Can you walk?"  
  
"Oh...yes," replied the Ravenclaw. She looked at Harry. "Aren't we supposed to get the pensieve though?"  
  
Harry and Hermione exchanged glances.  
  
"Um...well...it's still at the castle..." Harry said, a powerful sense of guilt overshadowing his earlier abatement, being very much aware of what his recklessness had so nearly cost her.  
  
And him. He'd grown quite fond of Luna the last few months, to the point where he considered her among his closest friends, no longer seeing her as the strange or bizarre girl most made her out to be. Oh she was different, to be sure. But he wouldn't want it any other way.  
  
She'd been almost like a sister to him since last year; he'd found he could talk about anything with her, without hesitation or discomfort; she never mocked him or put him down, indeed her faith in the outlandish and the unlikely was refreshing to Harry. He never felt the need to have to convince her of anything.  
  
"Oh," she said simply, "Well, that's good then, isn't it?"  
  
She slowly got to her feet and looked about. She walked slowly to where her wand lay on the floor, crouching down gingerly to pick it up. Harry could tell that every movement was causing her head to ache painfully.  
  
Hermione cast a last worrisome look at Luna before going to look after Ron and Ginny, while Luna went around collecting the various wands that lay scattered about.  
  
Harry immediately felt sheepish for not doing it himself. He'd been about to go to her when he heard Tonks come up behind him.  
  
"Okay, Harry," she said. "Ginny can walk, but Ron was hit by quite a few hexes, so I cast a Mobilicorpus on him, that way you can move him." She looked at Luna collecting a wand in the far corner. "How's your friend?"  
  
He sighed. "Well, not too good but she says she can walk," he said sombrely.  
  
"Okay, good," Tonks looked around. "You'd best get back now, I took a look at that guard at the door, looks like you stunned him pretty good. The others," she pointed to the motionless figure in the corner, "are out too, and the other one took off for the forest. But who knows when he'll be back?"  
  
She moved to the back part of the room and splayed herself across the floor. "I'll just pretend I was stunned too, then I'll be back in business. Thank goodness my cover wasn't blown."  
  
"Um...you sure you're going to be okay?" he asked.  
  
She smiled at him from her prone position. "Sure!" she said, as her features suddenly changing back to look like those of Sabbatha Minstrome.  
  
"Gaa - " she said playfully, splaying herself on the floor to look unconscious.  
  
"Okay," Harry said, turning back to the others. "Everyone ready? Right..."  
  
They moved back through the large room to the open door, passing the unconscious Death Eater and out through open trapdoor. Hermione led the way down, wand drawn, followed by Ginny and Luna, then Ron, who Harry was pushing along a few inches above the ground.  
  
When they reached the spot where they'd had their confrontation with the Slytherins, Harry realized there was no sign of Malfoy or his cronies. "Hermione!" he called out. The group halted.  
  
"What?" she called back to him, looking down the side of the tunnel to see him.  
  
"Be careful! Malfoy and the others aren't here," he said.  
  
"I know, I noticed," she called back and resumed her march down the tunnel with wand held at the ready.  
  
About fifteen minutes later they emerged from the tunnel, Harry keeping his finger on the knot of the Whomping Willow to let his friends get out of range, before letting go and sprinting clear. They quickly got back to the safety of the castle grounds and made for the Hospital Wing. 


	11. Luna's Year, Part XI

"But Professor," said Harry, "Couldn't they have looked inside the pensieve?"  
  
"Oh certainly, they could have," replied Dumbledore, closing the cabinet behind which he'd just stored the memory basin. He turned back to Harry. "Please sit down," he said, indicating the two chairs facing his large, slightly cluttered desk.  
  
Harry glanced at Hermione as he took a seat; she'd been unusually quiet and sombre since they'd returned from the Shrieking Shack, even though Madam Pomfrey had pronounced her in perfect health, apart from a few minor bumps and bruises.  
  
As through reading his mind, Dumbledore also gazed at her as he took his seat. "I trust Poppy found nothing badly wrong with you, Miss Granger?"  
  
She looked up. "Um...'Poppy', Professor?" she asked.  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "Well, Madam Pomfrey," he said. "My apologies, the diminutive is normally used among the staff."  
  
"Oh," said Hermione, nodding. "Yes, I'm fine," she said quietly.  
  
Harry wondered if she was somehow intimidated by the Headmaster, though it hardly seemed likely; this wasn't their first meeting with him, and she'd never shown such reticence before. He discarded the thought and made a mental note to inquire as to her well-being later.  
  
Dumbledore continued to stare at her for a few moments, as though also noticing her seemingly morose demeanor. But as Hermione gazed impassively at the desk and showed no signs of further interaction, he evidently took it to mean she was not going to be forthcoming. He smiled benignly. "Very good, then," he said quietly.  
  
He reclined back slightly in his seat. "You see Harry," he said, "After your encounter with Bellatrix Lestrange in the forest, I decided it would be prudent to take certain additional precautions. The pensieve, as you no doubt are aware of by now, cannot be forcibly removed from the castle grounds. As well, I've taken the liberty of procuring a second, for Professor Snape's use."  
  
His blue eyes twinkled slightly. "That is the one Mr. Malfoy removed from his office earlier...it contained no thoughts of mine, of course, and indeed likely no thoughts at all, for that matter; as I understand it, Professor Snape only uses it during your lessons. In any event, he informs me that your ability to block cerebral intrusion is now satisfactory, and hence has no further need of it."  
  
Harry looked at Hermione, though she continued to stare blankly at the desk before her. He turned back to Dumbledore. "Um...Professor," he said, his hopes rising, "Does this mean I'm done? With occlumency lessons?" "Oh yes," the Headmaster replied, "Professor Snape informs me he has been unable to draw any useful information from your mind for the past several lessons, to his apparent irritation, I might add."  
  
"Yes!" exclaimed Harry, raising his fist in triumph. "Oh...um, sorry, Professor." he said sheepishly as he lowered his hand back to his armrest.  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "No need, Harry," he said softly, "I am well aware of the...unease with which you view your relationship with Professor Snape. In any event, if he has pronounced you fully disciplined in the art of occlumency, then I consider it a 'Fait Accompli'."  
  
Harry blinked. He wasn't exactly sure what that meant, though it sounded French, or perhaps Latin. He'd ask Hermione later.  
  
"However, you should still exercise caution," continued Dumbledore. "Occlumency, like apparition, becomes considerably more difficult as the distance between the subjects increase. Therefore, if you were in close proximity to a probing mind, you would find it much more difficult to resist the intrusion."  
  
"Now, as for young Mr. Malfoy," said Dumbledore seriously, "I have no doubt that what you told me is true, Harry. Although, as no one actually witnesses the theft, the evidence is somewhat lacking. And even their presence in the tunnel, while it undoubtedly took place, cannot be proven."  
  
Harry felt his ire surging within him. After everything that had taken place, he could scarcely believe Dumbledore would still take no action against Malfoy. "But it did happen! Everything I told you!" he protested.  
  
Dumbledore raised his hand. "Yes, I know," he said softly. "I have no doubt it did, Harry. But keep in mind that to expel Mr. Malfoy would require unequivocal proof of their actions; proof that we do not have. However," he said, opening one of his drawers and rummaging through it, "I believe that we may be able to use that to our advantage. Now where did I...ah, yes - "  
  
He pulled out a small silk bag, the colour of a robin's eggshell. He pulled open the drawstring at the top and leaned the bag forward. "I'd purchased some sugar quills while in Hogsmeade a few weeks, as I hadn't enjoyed such treats in quite a few years; alas, my sweet tooth was yelling rather loudly in my ear that day. Please help yourselves - " he said, holding out the bag to Harry and Hermione.  
  
Harry relaxed a little and took out a long orange sugar quill from the bag, Hermione just waving it off politely with a distant smile.  
  
Dumbledore sat back in his chair, gazing at her with evident concern before leaving the bag on his desk.  
  
"Where was I...oh yes," he continued, "Mr. Malfoy's presence may come in useful, in that we can choose to 'release' such information, or disinformation, as we see fit. You've no doubt now aware of the presence of certain members of the Order in their midst after today's incident, therefore I must ask you not to speak of their involvement to anyone, Harry."  
  
"Of course," said Harry, "We won't say a word," Harry said, glancing at Hermione, who nodded solemnly.  
  
Dumbledore nodded approvingly. "Very well, then," he said, "Off you go..."  
  
* * *  
  
Ron was shuffling back to the Gryffindor Common Room, having categorically refused to be cooped up in the hospital wing once again. Once per term was quite enough, he'd figured.  
  
He still wasn't clear on what had taken place after he'd been knocked out at the Shack. Though he'd been quite groggy on the trip back, he thought he overheard the name of Nymphadora Tonks...had she somehow been involved?  
  
He picked up his pace slightly, still a bit dizzy from the multiple stunners he'd sustained, Madam Pomfrey's medicinal counteragents notwithstanding, dimly watching his shadow changing perspective along the sandstone walls with every torch he passed.  
  
He'd just turned into the main hall, making for the staircase at the far end, when he caught sight of Neville running down those same steps towards him.  
  
Neville broke out into a run. "What happened?" he asked as he joined Ron. "Seamus just told me he saw Professor McGonagall and Snape taking you guys to the hospital wing!"  
  
"Yeah," said Ron tiredly, maintaining his slow shuffling pace as Neville fell in next to him, "We, er, had a fight with some Death Eaters in the Shrieking Shack. I think."  
  
"No way!" exclaimed Neville. "Really? How'd that happen?"  
  
Ron frowned. "Well, it's kinda hazy, to tell you the truth," he said. "I got bloody well stunned, and I can't really remember too much of what happened after that...but anyway, we were trying to stop Malfoy from stealing Professor Dumbledore's pensieve - " "Whoa! They're gonna get in SO much trouble now!" said Neville gleefully.  
  
"Yeah, well, that's what I want to find out," said Ron, becoming a bit irritated at being left in the dark about everything that had happened. "I'm going to get the story from Harry, I only caught bits and pieces on the way back - "  
  
Ron heard someone running up from behind. He stopped and turned around, hoping it was Harry coming to fill him in.  
  
Instead his eyes fell with disappointment on Luna Lovegood, her pale cheeks flush after having apparently run a good distance. Ron's eyes fell to a small yellow and green box she had in hand.  
  
"Er...hi," said Ron as he thumbed towards the staircase. "Can't talk now, have to go see Harry. See you tomorrow, all right?"  
  
She brushed a few loose strands of dirty blonde hair from her face and pressed the box colourful, leafy-patterned box into his hands.  
  
"Madam Pomfrey told me you'd checked yourself out," she said. "I didn't know if I'd catch you before you got back. I don't know the Gryffindor password, you know."  
  
"Well, here I am," said Ron impatiently. He shook the box. "What's in this?"  
  
"Chocolate Snorkacks," she said dreamily. She pointed at the box. "Honestly, I think I should make a batch of these ahead of time, you're always getting injured lately - "  
  
"No, I'm not!" said Ron a bit sharply, Neville giving him a strange look.  
  
"Of course you are," she said offhandedly. "Anyway, Colin was just in the hospital wing looking for you and Harry, I thought I'd let you know in case he's looking for material to put in his newsletter..."  
  
"Oh, why, you want me to give you an exclusive for The Crazy Quibbler instead?" shot Ron irately. "Sorry, can't help you. I was just going to see Harry to find out the whole story for myself until you came along - "  
  
He caught sight of a couple of passing Gryffindor girls, who were looking at him out of the corners of their eyes and plainly giggling.  
  
"Actually, I just wanted to warn you," said Luna serenely, "In case Colin came looking for an interview. He's a Gryffindor too, after all, so he can get in your dorm. And it's The Quibbler, by the way."  
  
The two girls came to a stop a few feet away and were now openly ogling him, giggling intensely. His patience was now wearing very thin.  
  
"I don't care what it's called," he said brusquely. "It's just a rubbish paper, everybody knows that - hey you two over there, something funny?!" he called out angrily to the two Gryffindors.  
  
He suddenly looked down at the box in his hands and quickly thrust it back towards Luna. "Here, I don't want this," he said.  
  
Luna stared at him for a few moments. "Well, share them with your friends, then," she said serenely. "I would've made more, you know, but there wasn't enough time - "  
  
"Look," said Ron hotly, his irritation growing by the second as he continued to glare at the two laughing Gryffindors, thrusting the box out further, "Give 'em to somebody else, all right?? I'm not going to eat these things anyway!"  
  
"You liked them well enough last year," replied Luna dreamily. "You ate a whole batch, as I recall. Anyway, if you don't want them, you can give them away - "  
  
"I SAID NO!" yelled Ron, his anger erupting as he threw the box back at her. It hit her in the chest and flung open, the chocolate-covered Crumple- Horned Snorkack treats spilling out onto the floor, the box dropping upside down near her feet.  
  
"Ron!" said Neville loudly. "Hey, what's the matter??"  
  
The giggling had abruptly stopped, the two girls having gasped, wide-eyed, upon seeing his outburst. Luna was staring at him serenely, her large silver eyes fixed and unblinking.  
  
He glared back at her, feeling his stomach twisting into a knot. Sure he'd overreacted, but he was fed up with being laughed at. At least it had shut up those two little spectators, if nothing else.  
  
No one spoke. Finally, after several moments Luna took a step back, crouched down on her haunches and began cleaning up the mess, scooping up the scattered chocolates back into the box.  
  
Ron scowled at the two girls who were now staring at him open-mouthed. Grimly satisfied at having stopped their incessant giggling, he turned on his heel and marched down the hall towards the Gryffindor tower, his former lethargy driven now by anger.  
  
Neville watched him go for a moment before crouching down and helping Luna gather up the scattered treats. "Blimey, I don't know what got into him," he said quietly, glancing at her as he scooped a couple of miniature Snorkacks into the open box between them. "It's nothing personal, I think those stunners just made him a bit funny..." Luna smiled at him dreamily but said nothing. When at last they'd cleaned up the mess they both stood, facing each other, Luna holding the crumpled box against her chest and staring at Neville.  
  
"Er...are you going to be okay?" asked Neville nervously. Those large unblinking eyes always managed to unnerve him, most especially when he was the target of their gaze.  
  
"Oh yes, I'm rather used to it, you know. Anyway," she said, "How's Trevor? I heard Pansy Parkinson found him in the prefect's washroom on the second floor, did you know? She apparently thought he was an animagus or something, judging from all the screaming."  
  
"Er, yeah, I heard about that," said Neville sheepishly. "He's always running off, it's a bugger, really. But he came back just after dinner; I hate to lock him in his birdcage, though, he really hates being cooped up."  
  
Luna nodded, staring at him for a while longer. "Well," she said, looking at the crumpled box in her hand, "I'd offer you these, but I don't think they're really edible anymore. I'll have to throw them out, I suppose. Anyway, thank you, Neville," she said as she smiled and drifted away.  
  
Neville watched her go, his curiosity about the events of the Shrieking Shack momentarily forgotten.  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione was walking down to the Pitch, the early November afternoon sunnier than it had been for days. She'd finally decided to go watch the Gryffindor Quidditch practice, finding it difficult lately to concentrate on her schoolwork. Perhaps, she thought, it would provide a welcome distraction from what was troubling her.  
  
As she neared the Pitch a slight breeze picked up, blowing locks of brown hair across her face and sending dried leaves tumbling playfully across the path before her.  
  
Dried leaves...look at them, they used to be so colourful...but they died too...  
  
She stopped in her tracks, waiting for the leaves to blow across her path. She'd found herself seeing death everywhere lately, even in the most mundane things. Even these blowing leaves, shorn from their hosts by the forces of wind and nature, had suddenly reminded her that death comes for all things, eventually. Though they tumbled along in the wind, they were cold, brittle, the wind providing their sole respite from perpetual lifelessness. Empty things, floating and drifting...and yet she stared at them, mesmerized.  
  
The past two days had been filled with thoughts of the events of Halloween night...she still shuddered at the image seared in her memory, seeing Luna collapse to the floor in before her. If Tonks hadn't been posing as a Death Eater...  
  
The breeze slowly died down, abandoning the leaves across the path. She stepped over them, being particularly mindful not to crush any underfoot.  
  
Her thoughts drifted back to Luna. The young Ravenclaw had very nearly made the ultimate sacrifice. And yet, though no serious harm had been done in the end, no one seemed to have given it a second thought. But Hermione did. To the point where she'd found herself having difficulty looking Luna in the eye over the last few days, though of course the Ravenclaw seemed completely oblivious, chatting animatedly with Hermione in the halls that very morning about something to do with Neville's toad.  
  
The act had profoundly moved Hermione; what could she say, what could she do, to even begin to mitigate such a thing? What's worse, she'd kept imagining herself in Luna's position, wondering if she would have been capable of the same actions, had the situation been reversed...  
  
She walked on slowly, coming to the entrance of the playing field. She glanced in time to see Ron block a scoring attempt by Ginny, who then proceeded to celebrate a few moments too long, as Andrew Kirke caught the falling Quaffle and scored unopposed in one of the lower hoops.  
  
Hermione sighed. She really didn't feel much like being here, any more than in the library. But here she was, so she may as well show her support. She entered the shaded base of the stands, making her way along the creaky wooden walkway to the teacher's box, as it offered the best vantage point in the Pitch.  
  
She climbed up the many flights of stairs up the darkened tower until she reached the archway at the top, the sunlight flooding through the opening and forcing her to squint a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the brightness.  
  
She stepped out into the teacher's box, startled to see Luna sitting several rows down from her, seemingly engrossed with eating something that looked suspiciously like an ice cream sundae, while happily watching the ongoing practice.  
  
Hermione stood there for several moments, unmoving. She took a deep breath and slowly walked down to the centre row.  
  
"Hi Luna," she said.  
  
Luna looked up, the sun's rays hitting her square in the face though Hermione noted her large silver eyes remained wide as ever.  
  
"Oh, hello," she said, smiling dreamily.  
  
Hermione hesitated. "Um...can I join you?"  
  
Luna looked back up at her, drawing her spoon from her mouth and nodding. She moved over one place, which struck Hermione a bit odd, as there was plenty of room for several people on either side.  
  
As she took her seat on Luna's old spot she suddenly realized why she'd moved over; the wooden bench here was warm, evidently she'd desired to spare Hermione the sharp sensation of sitting on an ice cold seat.  
  
Hermione glanced at what Luna was eating. It was ice cream, after all, unlikely as it seemed on a day like this.  
  
"Luna, isn't it a bit cold for a sundae?"  
  
Luna slowly drew her spoon from her mouth and sook her head vigorously. "Oh no," she said, "It's actually perfect today, I can eat it as long as I like and it won't melt."  
  
It looked a bit eclectic to Hermione's eyes. But then, she its strange appearance wasn't entirely surprising, considering its slightly dotty consumer.  
  
"Er...what is it?" she asked.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, it's a chocolate pudding banana eclair nougat sundae, I made it myself in the kitchen before coming." She gazed at her spoon for a moment. "I think I must have used icing chocolate by mistake, though," she added as an afterthought. "I'm not very good at reading elvish, really."  
  
Hermione smiled, turning her gaze to the Pitch. Harry, who was acting as a chaser for the practice, tried to deke Ron but ended up losing his grip on the Quaffle in the process.  
  
"So...um...how are things?" asked Hermione awkwardly.  
  
Luna turned to her, spoon frozen in mid position between mouth and sundae. She stared at Hermione for several moments, her pale eyes unblinking. "Oh quite well, I suppose," she said at last. She tilted her head slightly to one side. "Are you all right?"  
  
Hermione sighed. She didn't know who else to talk to, but the thought of talking to Luna about, well, Luna, seemed almost too preposterous.  
  
"Yes," said Hermione, forcing the word out. Why am I lying??  
  
Luna stuck her spoon in her sundae and set the bowl down next to her. "No, it isn't," she said matter-of-factly, turning to face Hermione. "You're upset about something. I can tell, you know. You've been rather quiet lately."  
  
Hermione's shoulders sagged. "Not really upset, Luna," she said softly, "just...I don't know...I keep thinking of what happened the other night..."  
  
"Oh that," said Luna knowingly. "Well he was rather tired, you know. Madam Pomfrey did say he'd left despite her objections, after all."  
  
Hermione blinked. "Um...no..." she said, unsure exactly what Luna was referring to, "I meant...at the Shack...you know, with the Death Eaters..."  
  
Luna stared at her. "Well, the pensieve was safe all along, wasn't it? Ginny told me - "  
  
"No," Hermione interrupted her, "It's not the pensieve, Luna..."  
  
She sighed, running her hands through her hair. She looked out at the Quidditch Pitch, her eyes seeing but not really registering the players zipping back and forth at breakneck speeds.  
  
"Luna...you took that spell that was meant for me," she said, her voice barely a whisper. She turned to look at the Ravenclaw, who was staring at her with her usual slightly surprised expression. "I'm just...I really don't know what to say...how can I ever repay you for that?"  
  
"But I'm fine, though," said Luna, seemingly oblivious to Hermione's reasoning. "It turned out to be that lady from the Order in the end, didn't it?"  
  
Hermione let out a sharp breath. "Yes, but that was just an incredible stroke of luck!" she said, exasperated.  
  
Luna smiled slightly. "You're making yourself upset for nothing, you know." she said softly. "Everyone's safe and sound, I would think you'd be happy."  
  
Hermione was speechless. Was Luna had said was true, but still...  
  
"I just...I just can't..."  
  
"Oh, come on," said Luna. "Harry and Ronald would have done the same you know."  
  
"But..."  
  
Hermione's eyes welled up with tears. Though Harry and Ron were her best friends, she was experiencing the dawning realization that her circle of friends had grown to include a certain fifth year Ravenclaw. The weight of the last couple of days gradually eased from her shoulders slightly.  
  
She turned back to the pitch, hardly seeing anything through the blur, rubbing her fists into her eyes.  
  
When she opened them again she glimpsed something out of the corner of her eye near her lap. She looked down to see Luna's bizarre, eclectic multi- flavoured sundae on the bench between them, a spoon held out towards her. "I brought an extra one, just in case," said Luna, smiling dreamily.  
  
Hermione hesitantly took the spoon Luna was proffering.  
  
"Oh, don't worry," said Luna. "It all goes well together, really, I've made it before. And the chocolate icing doesn't really detract from it very much. The only time I got sick was when I misread "  
  
Hermione smiled, looking for a slightly less exotic looking part of the sundae to sample. Luna was already spooning up her share, her feet swinging playfully as she gazed out onto the Quidditch Pitch.  
  
Oh why not, Hermione thought, closing her eyes and plunging her spoon wherever fate took it, drawing out an eclectic mixture of ice cream, chocolate pudding, nougat and banana eclair. She looked at it for a moment before closing her eyes once more and took the plunge, expecting the worst but quickly startled that it wasn't all that bad, the various flavours and textures all complimenting each other wonderfully.  
  
"You know," she said in between mouthfuls, "this is actually pretty good?"  
  
Luna looked down at her feet, her long straggly locks obscuring her face, but Hermione had the distinct impression she was smiling gleefully.  
  
Ron and Ginny were having a heated argument up at the goal hoops; though she couldn't tell why, Hermione supposed it might have something to do with Ginny flying through the hoops with the Quaffle tucked tightly under her arm. Though she wasn't up on all the rules, the fact that she'd never seen it done during an actual match led her to believe it was probably illegal.  
  
"By the way, what's this S.P.E.W. thing?" asked Luna out of the blue, dreamily watching the players arguing on the pitch before turning to Hermione. "Dobby told me you were organizing it."  
  
Hermione blinked. She hadn't found much in the way of support over the last two years for S.P.E.W., to the point where she'd almost resigned herself to having to go it alone. Having someone actually bring the subject up was a welcome surprise. "Dobby told you about it?" asked Hermione.  
  
Luna nodded. "I think it's a wonderful idea," she said. "We've never had a house elf at home, Daddy wouldn't dream of it. Unless it on salary, of course, like Dobby. Which leaves us out. Personally, I think most are quite happy with their lot, but I think they should be given a choice."  
  
Hermione stared at her, a thought coming to mind...  
  
"Luna," she said slowly, "You said your father's always looking for stories that he feels the public need to know, didn't you?"  
  
* * *  
  
Harry blew his whistle. "Okay, hold it!" he called out, holding up his hands to get everyone's attention. "I think you've all pretty much got the hang of it now."  
  
Glancing around the Room of Requirement, Harry could see several silvery Patroni prancing about, some in the process of dissolving into air, others waiting patiently for orders from their conjurers. Some students were pointing to Luna's platypus, apparently thinking it was a terribly botched attempt, though Hermione was busily explaining that it was a real animal in the Muggle world, however bizarre it might appear.  
  
By now most members of D.A. were having little difficulty conjuring up their own Patronus, which gave Harry great satisfaction. Being one of the more difficult spells to master, their considerable improvement after several repeated lessons was very promising. Of course, conjuring happy thoughts here in class was much easier than when actually confronted by hideous Dementors in the field, but still...  
  
"Now, for the rest of the lesson," said Harry, "I'd like you to practice the Disillusionment Charm. It makes you take the appearance of whatever's around you, so you become virtually invisible."  
  
"Like a chameleon!" said Neville.  
  
"That's right," said Harry. "Okay, listen up. First, you say 'Occulo praestigiae', then gently tap the top of the recipient's head with your wand. Don't tap too hard, because then it turns the recipient a bright yellow. Oh, and don't tap any other part, because the spell only moves downwards, apparently. Right then, everybody pair off and try it out."  
  
Ron turned to Hermione, but Ginny had already paired off with her. Dang it, Ron thought. Hermione was the most popular student in the D.A. lessons because she almost never messed up, and people knew there was very little risk in experiencing some strange side effect from a mispronounced or botched incantation. He looked around just in time to see Neville pairing off with Dean, mentally kicking himself again.  
  
As he glanced around the room he saw everyone else already paired off, Harry rushing off into the far corner as Colin Creevy had just turned Ernie MacMillan's hair a brightly glowing yellow, not exactly the best result for a concealment charm. Ron sighed, looking around for anyone free.  
  
Luna was standing in front of him, smiling slightly and gazing at him with her large, silvery eyes, her absurd acorn earrings dangling loosely.  
  
Oh Bloody Hell, thought Ron, pretending not to see her. He looking around desperately for anyone else not yet paired off.  
  
Luna seemed not to notice his deliberate snub, rasing her wand in the ready position. "Ready?" she asked dreamily.  
  
Ron sighed, turning back to her. "Listen," he said heavily, "I didn't hear the words too well, I probably won't be able to do - "  
  
" 'Occulo praestigiae'," repeated Luna clearly. "Oh, don't worry. I'll go first so you can hear - you'll have to stay still, I can't reach you if you keep backing up - "  
  
"Look," blustered Ron, "Just find somebody else, okay?"  
  
"Everyone else is paired off," said Luna airily. "Anyway, it doesn't hurt, Ronald, it's just a light tapping on the head like Harry said - " she reached up to demonstrate when Ron quickly swatted her hand away, sending her wand flying in the process.  
  
"NO, all right?!" he said loudly.  
  
"Hey, what is WRONG with you?!?" Ginny yelled at him, her face flush with anger.  
  
"I told you to find somebody else!" said Ron angrily, ignoring his sister; by now everyone had stopped their practice to gape at him.  
  
"Oh, you're hopeless!" he said to Luna as he marched briskly to the door and stormed out.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione called after him, taking a few steps towards the door before stopping.  
  
Luna had just picked up her wand when Harry reached her.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, wondering what could have provoked such an outburst. He hadn't heard any arguing between the two up to that point...  
  
"Oh yes," said Luna dreamily. "I suppose I make him rather uncomfortable..."  
  
"I'm going to have a talk with him," said Harry, glancing at the door. "There's no reason for that."  
  
"Oh no, that's all right," said Luna. "He just thinks I'm a little odd, that's all. Most people do, you know."  
  
Harry's heart sank. Luna seemed so unaffected by it all, but he could hardly imagine that it never bothered her, deep down. He looked at her for some sign, but her dreamy stare was not exactly conveying much in terms of insight.  
  
"Okay, everyone," he said, addressing the group. "Let's get back to it, remember, it's 'Occulo praestigiae'."  
  
As the class slowly resumed practising, he glanced around to make sure there were no further disasters in the making before turning back to Luna.  
  
"I'll team up with you," he said, as he took out his wand from his robes. "Okay, first you try."  
  
Luna smiled serenely and took a step closer.  
  
" 'Occulo praestigiae' ", she said in almost melodic fashion, tapping the top of Harry's head slightly with the tip of her wand.  
  
He felt the familiar broken egg trickling sensation ebbing down his face, reaching his feet after just a few moments. Luna had performed the charm perfectly, judging from what his senses told him. Luna just stared at him however, wand held loosely at her side, her silver eyes looking into his.  
  
"Did it work?" she asked after several moments.  
  
"Why?" asked Harry. "Can't you tell - oh...I forgot," he smiled as he looked down at himself. Sure enough, he could see only the faintest outlines of his clothes, as they were adopting the colouration of the room and people around him, rendering him practically transparent.  
  
"Good job, Luna," he said, grinning. "First try, too. Now it's my turn, get ready to feel something really weird..."  
  
She smiled serenely as he prepared his wand. 


	12. Luna's Year, Part XII

"What are you talking about?" whispered Harry. "What orang-outangs?"  
  
"They're coming to take over the school," said Luna sombrely. "Professor Dumbledore told me."  
  
"He...he said that?" asked Harry incredulously. He heard coughing from the front of the class. He lowered his voice. "Are you really sure that's what he said?"  
  
"I don't think they'll teach very well," said Luna quietly, leaning closer. "I've never spoken to an orang-outang before, though..."  
  
Harry blinked. "Luna...when did he tell you - "  
  
"Hem hem."  
  
The sound filled Harry with a dreadful sense of horrific deja-vu.  
  
It...it couldn't be, he thought, slowly looking up at the figure now standing before him.  
  
It was. Dolores Umbridge. Standing right before his desk, hands on her hips, smiling down at him with that familiar air of badly concealed malevolence.  
  
"It would appear you still haven't learned the need for discipline, Mr. Potter," she said in her false sweet voice. "Please report to my office after classes today for further detention."  
  
Harry gaped at her. No...it couldn't be...what was she doing here?? How could Dumbledore have possibly allowed it? After everything that had taken place the previous year, no less!  
  
"YAAAGGGHH!!!" He screamed.  
  
Harry jerked awake, his foot striking the leg of his desk and causing it to skid noisily into the back of Neville's chair in front of him. He looked around, his eyes coming back into focus, becoming suddenly aware of a classroom full of curious faces staring back at him. He looked to his right, but instead of Luna, the desk was occupied by Hermione, staring at him in shock.  
  
"What was that all about?" she whispered.  
  
Harry blinked, his rapid breathing and anxiety lessening. "I...I think I must've drifted off..." he whispered. He looked to the front of the class and saw the ghostly form of Professor Binns staring back expressionlessly at him.  
  
"Everything all right back there, Perkins?" The teacher droned. "Err..." Harry looked around, aware that all eyes were still on him, quite understandably though, given the circumstances. Though he felt fine now, his sense of embarrassment was increasing exponentially. "Actually no, Professor, I don't feel very well," he lied, "I'd like to go see Madam Pomfrey."  
  
"Pomfrey...Yes...yes," prattled Binns, "Very well then, Perkins."  
  
Harry quickly gathered his books and stood to leave when Hermione tugged at his sleeve. "Harry, are you all right? Are you sick?" she whispered, her brown eyes full of concern.  
  
He leaned closer to ensure he wasn't overhead. "I just had a nightmare, Hermione, that's all...and...I'm a bit embarrassed right now, I think I'll just go for a walk till next class."  
  
"Oh...well, okay," Hermione whispered back, "We'll see you at Potions, then."  
  
Harry closed the door behind him and leaned back heavily against the wall with a pronounced sigh. Talk about embarrassing, he thought, kicking himself for falling asleep. Though there was no doubt Binns could prattle on endlessly and was by far the most boring teacher in the school, it was the first time in recent memory that he'd gone so far as to fall asleep in History of Magic Class.  
  
He pushed himself away from the wall and made his way to the main hallway, looking up at the large ornate clock that told him there was still a good half hour to go before Potions was to start. He wasn't particularly looking forward to that class, either.  
  
Well, at least I won't fall asleep in there, he thought. Boring was not an apt description for Potions class. Nerve-wracking was more like it.  
  
He ambled down the staircase into the main hall, having decided he may as well bring his History of Magic material back to the dormitory, rather than hauling them around the rest of the morning. As he slowly sauntered along the nearly deserted hall, he caught sight of someone walking in through the castle's entrance from the courtyard, the long trailing, dirty blonde hair unmistakably identifying Luna, heading off in the direction of the Ravenclaw tower. Harry broke out into run and quickly caught up with her.  
  
"Hey, Luna," he said as he fell in beside her. Had she skipped class too?  
  
"Oh, hello," said Luna, smiling at him as she unravelled her long Ravenclaw scarf from around her neck and shook it vigorously, clumps of snow falling to the floor. Her hair and pink earmuffs were blanketed in large flakes and her normally pale cheeks were flushed pink with cold, Harry noting it gave her an appealingly huggable appearance.  
  
"You didn't go for a walk in that storm, did you?" asked Harry, seeing the trailing edges of her coat encrusted with ice and snow.  
  
"Well, not at first," she replied dreamily, pulling off her fuzzy earmuffs before shaking her head vigorously, sending the snow flying about, a wet clump splattering Harry in the face. "Professor Hagrid cancelled our class, actually. The owlbear we were supposed to see escaped back into the forest during the night." She bent over and proceeded to knock bits of snow and ice from her boots.  
  
"He cancelled class...but wasn't that like half an hour ago?" asked Harry, wondering what an owlbear might be; it hadn't been part of the curriculum the previous year.  
  
Luna stood back up and nodded. "I think the others went back inside, I suppose they didn't want to take advantage of the lovely weather...it's such a nice day for a walk in the snow. Anyway," she said, shaking the snow from one of her sleeves, "I think I'll go sit by the fire and dry off a bit."  
  
"Hey listen, I've got some time to kill," said Harry, "Want to go to the kitchen? There's a fireplace there too. We can get some hot chocolate while we're there, I'm sure Dobby would be happy to make us a batch."  
  
Luna stared at him for a few moments, her silvery eyes large and unblinking.  
  
"It's not far," said Harry, pointing to the staircase. "We're almost there actually, it's just underneath the Great Hall."  
  
She smiled slightly. "I know," she said dreamily. "Actually, a hot chocolate would be rather nice, I didn't have breakfast this morning..."  
  
"I noticed that, we saved you a seat at the table," said Harry as they walked down the steps to the basement level. "Where were you anyway?"  
  
"Oh, I was in my dormitory," said Luna conversationally. "I was looking for my blanket, my last one disappeared during the night. I don't think there's a connection with Professor Hagrid's owlbear, though."  
  
Harry looked at her. "Not again!" he said, his ire rising. "They wouldn't do that at this time of year!"  
  
"Oh, it's all right," she said as they stepped out into the lower corridor. "Normally I'd just wait for it to come back at year end, but it is getting rather chilly these days, so I looked for it this morning."  
  
Harry sighed. Blast it, this has to stop! he thought. But then he remembered what Ginny had told him, about how things had only gotten worse for Luna after she'd tried to help. A sense of frustrating helplessness swept through him. "Anyway," said Luna, looking at him, "How come you're not in class?"  
  
"Oh that," said Harry, "I...um...fell asleep in History of Magic...it was so embarrassing. I pretended I wasn't feeling well and got out."  
  
They came before the painting of the fruit bowl in the hall. Harry tickled the green pear, grabbing the emerging door handle and pulling it open, motioning Luna through.  
  
"Oh, it's Miss Luna!" Harry heard a familiar voice say as he stepped through the doorway. "Oh, and Harry Potter it is!"  
  
Harry stepped through the doorway and saw Dobby standing before them, his tennis ball-like eyes matched by an equally large smile. Luna was crouching down, greeting him face-to-face.  
  
"Hello, Dobby," she said dreamily. "How are you today?"  
  
"Hi Dobby," Harry smiled, as he pulled the door shut behind him.  
  
"Dobby is honoured by your visit, Miss Luna and Harry Potter," the little elf said, bowing and extending his hand towards the huge kitchen. "May Dobby bring you anything?"  
  
"Actually Dobby, we were thinking about some nice hot chocolate?" asked Harry.  
  
"Hot chocolate it is, Harry Potter!" squealed Dobby as he scampered off to rummage through one of the cupboards.  
  
Harry and Luna walked over to a table near the large brick fireplace on the opposite wall. "There, nice and warm. Here," said Harry, holding out a chair near the fire for Luna.  
  
She seemed slightly startled by this, looking at him strangely before gracefully taking the proffered seat, arraying her scarf, mittens and earmuffs on the back of the chair.  
  
A thought occurred to Harry. "Uh, Luna," he said, "have you been thinking of...orang-outangs, lately, by any chance?"  
  
A slight smile played across her features. "No," she said, "Why?"  
  
"Oh, nothing," he said, shrugging. "Just a crazy idea I had."  
  
"Best be careful," she said, very seriously. "Some people might think you're a bit odd, asking about orang-outangs. Not me, of course, but then, I think they're a bit boring, aren't they?"  
  
Harry gaped at her, open mouthed and half grinning. Was she joking with him? Given her blank expression it was impossible to tell.  
  
"Yeah," he chuckled finally, "Wouldn't want that..."  
  
"Oh!" exclaimed Luna suddenly, startling Harry, "Speaking of orang-outangs, I saw some very peculiar tracks leading into the forest when I was out walking, Harry...I think they might be Blibbering Humdinger prints!"  
  
"Um...you did?" asked Harry, wondering what a Blibbering Humdinger might look like, or if such a creature even existed. He thought he'd heard that name somewhere before though...  
  
"Yes!" said Luna excitedly, her silver eyes widening. "I can't wait to tell Daddy! Can you imagine? I don't think they've ever been sighted anywhere this close before! Oh, I wish I'd had a camera..."  
  
"Yeah," said Harry, smiling at the thought of Luna making a major scientific discovery that would perturb Hermione to no end, "That would be something, all right..."  
  
Dobby suddenly appeared holding two very large mugs; judging from the sweet smell of coca Harry knew immediately it was their hot chocolates.  
  
"Thank you, Dobby," said Luna sweetly, taking the mug the house elf was proffering with both hands.  
  
"It is my pleasure, miss Luna," he said beaming.  
  
"Thanks Dobby," Harry smiled, ogling the huge mugs the little house elf had provided. These look like they'd be big enough for Hagrid, Harry thought.  
  
"Would Harry Potter like anything else, sir?" asked Dobby, eyes wide with expectation.  
  
"Oh no, this is more than enough, Dobby," said Harry. "But thanks!"  
  
"If Harry Potter or miss Luna wish anything," said the house elf, pointing towards the tables at the far end of the hall, "Shouting will bring Dobby running!"  
  
"Thanks, Dobby!" Harry grinned.  
  
Luna watched the house-elf scamper away, looking rather pensive. "I hope Hermione's idea works out," she said.  
  
Harry turned to her. "Her idea?" he asked, "Oh, you mean S.P.E.W.?"  
  
Luna nodded. "She started writing an article for The Quibbler a couple of weeks ago," she said. "Daddy was quite happy to provide her with a forum, actually. He's going to start running it in the January issue."  
  
"I didn't know that," he said honestly. "She didn't mention anything about it to me, anyway."  
  
Luna stared at him for several moments. "Well," she said, "I imagine she doesn't think you and Ronald are really supportive of her."  
  
"It's not that we don't support her," said Harry, "But the house-elves like to work for people, most get really upset if they get set free. I mean if she was fighting for somebody who wanted to be set free - "  
  
"She just wants to give them the choice, actually," said Luna.  
  
He thought about that. "She's doing it for the principle of the thing," he mulled out loud.  
  
Luna smiled and nodded, taking a sip from her hot chocolate.  
  
Harry watched the house elves for a while, coming to and fro, busily preparing lunch, knowing full well that most of them would undoubtedly choose to continue working at Hogwarts, as their ancestors had done for hundreds of years before. But, Luna had a point...they'd never been given a real choice in the matter, so far as he knew. Watching them happily scurrying about their business, he marvelled at how anyone could be so enthusiastic doing such work, day after day, without variation.  
  
"You wouldn't have any strawberries, would you?" asked Luna from out of the blue.  
  
"Huh?" said Harry, "Er...no, I don't usually carry any on me..."  
  
"No," she said, gazing at him in contemplation, "I don't suppose you would. Well, that's all right, this is still quite good - "  
  
"I can ask Dobby - "  
  
"Oh, no," said Luna, smiling, "That's okay, really. I was just wondering, in case you had any with you. Dipping strawberries in hot chocolate is one of life's greatest delights, you know. You really should try it sometime."  
  
"Er...it is?"  
  
"It's a transcendental experience," she said, eyes widening excitedly. "It's a truly delightful combination, Harry. One of life's great treasures, really. And not just with strawberries, baby cucumbers work well also, if you happen to be out of season. Anyway," she said, lowering her voice to a whisper, "I asked Professor Sprout for a little growing pot in her private greenhouse so I can plant my own, where no one can take them...they'll be ready just in time for Christmas!"  
  
Harry chuckled.  
  
"I'll take your word for the cucumber part...say, what are you doing during the holidays?" he asked. Christmas was now just days away and he just realized he had no idea what her plans were.  
  
She stared at him intently for a few moments, as though surprised by his question. "Well, I'm staying at school this year," she said vaguely. "I got an owl from Daddy yesterday; his uncle passed away a few days ago, he has to go to Germany and help settle the estate. He was the executor."  
  
Harry's shoulders sagged. Didn't anything ever go right for Luna, he wondered. "I'm so sorry, Luna," he said softly. "Were...were you close?"  
  
"Oh, no," she said conversationally. "I've never met him myself, and the last time Daddy saw him was ages ago, but they wanted a distant relative to handle the estate and sort everything out, so Daddy agreed to go."  
  
"Oh," said Harry, slightly relieved. He'd hated to think of Luna losing someone else close to her after what had happened to her mother.  
  
"Anyway, what are you doing for Christmas?" she asked before taking another sip of hot chocolate, the mug being so large that she held it with both hands.  
  
"I'm spending Christmas with the Weasleys at The Burrow," said Harry, just before a thought flashed through his mind. "Hey, why don't you come? You know the Weasleys, don't you?"  
  
Luna stared at him, her large silver eyes unblinking, for such a long while that Harry thought she hadn't heard his question. "Well, thanks, Harry," she said finally, smiling dreamily. "Ginny already invited me anyway, but I think it's best if I stayed, really."  
  
"Why?" asked Harry. "Hermione's going to her folks, Neville's spending the holidays with his Gran, you're not going to spend Christmas alone!"  
  
Harry saw a hint of a smile on her face as her silver eyes stared into his. "It's okay, you know," she said dreamily. "I wish I could have spent it with Daddy though...it's going to be our first Christmas apart, actually."  
  
Harry's thought he detected a note of sadness in her voice. "You're really close to your Dad, aren't you?" he asked. "Oh yes," she said. For once, her eyes were staring off into space.  
  
Harry felt an intense surge of empathy for the girl. Did she have any other close family at all, he wondered? He'd never heard her mention any brothers or sisters.  
  
She looked up at him again. "It was very hard on Daddy...when Mum died," she said sadly. "I think the holidays are still hard for him, really...I wish I could have been with him this year..."  
  
Harry had the sinking feeling that the holidays were scarcely better for Luna...from the sounds of it, her Mum must have died around Christmas.  
  
Looking into those huge, silver eyes, he immediately resolved to remain at Hogwarts during the holidays.  
  
"DOBBY!" he called out, "Got any strawberries down here??"  
  
* * *  
  
Ron and Hermione were out patrolling the halls together as was their custom, coming across a few late stragglers that they sent quickly off to their dormitories. Their only stressful encounter took place when they'd come across the caretaker, Filch, on his usual patrol, lantern held aloft and hateful eyes scanning the shadows, looking for all the world like a bedraggled, malevolent scarecrow.  
  
"Um...hello, Mr. Filch," said Hermione nervously as they crossed paths in the hall.  
  
"Umph," uttered the caretaker, which was about the best they could expect from him anyhow, raising her eyebrows and looking at Ron.  
  
"He's just ticked because he can't put us in detention," whispered Ron.  
  
"Why does he always carry that lantern around, anyway?" said Hermione, looking behind and watching Filch away down the hall, his lantern casting large, eerie shadows as he went.  
  
"Probably because he wants to see into every nook and cranny," answered Ron. "You know, in case a student managed to shrink down in size or something."  
  
Hermione smiled. Absurd as it was, she wouldn't have been too surprised if someone had tried it at some point through the years.  
  
They walked down the hall and made their way up the two-tiered staircase to the second floor, nervously eyeing the Bloody Baron as he glided silently past them, through one wall and out the other, his ghostly cape billowing in a non-existent wind.  
  
"Sure you won't change your mind about coming to the Burrow tomorrow?" asked Ron once the apparition had disappeared through the sandstone wall.  
  
"No, but thanks anyway, Ron," Hermione smiled. "We're going skiing in France, remember? I skipped the last time they went, so I really should go. The tickets are non-refundable anyway."  
  
"Well, if you change your mind before tomorrow morning just let me know," he said, "I'm sure Mum and Dad would love to have you over."  
  
An idea that had been slowly simmering in Hermione's mind suddenly took life at Ron's broaching of the subject. "Actually, Ron," she said, "Why don't you invite Luna over? I'm sure she'd go if you asked her..."  
  
"Urg," said Ron, "No thanks. Besides, Ginny invited her already and she said no."  
  
Hermione stopped. Ron continued a few steps before realizing he was walking by himself. He turned back to look at her.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
She walked up to Ron, eyeing him curiously. "You know why she won't go, don't you?"  
  
"No idea," he said, beginning to wish she'd change the subject.  
  
"She won't go because she knows you don't want her there, Ron!" said Hermione.  
  
He shrugged, desperately hoping that if he said nothing she'd drop the matter. He looked around the deserted hall, hoping for once to see a student they could put on report, or anything to distract her.  
  
Her angry glare told him she wasn't about to grant his wish. "Look," he said finally, "She just gives me the willies, Hermione, she's just so - " he tried to search for a less offensive word, finally giving up. "Well, she's weird!" he said finally. "It's nothing personal!"  
  
Hermione gaped at him, mouth open in shock. "Nothing personal??" she said rather loudly. "Ron, I saw how you treated her in DA class. Don't tell me that wasn't personal! Not to mention that little scene Neville told me about, how you threw her chocolates back in her face!"  
  
Ron stared back at her disbelievingly. "What's gotten into you?" he said angrily. "Why are you defending Loony Lovegood all of a sudden? You thought she was nutters enough last year!"  
  
Hermione's eyes widened. Ron never saw the surprisingly violent slap coming, striking him painfully hard on his cheek, so much so that he staggered sideways a few steps and nearly lost his balance.  
  
"Bloody hell!" he yelled, rubbing the side of his face, "What was THAT for?"  
  
Hermione's hands were clenched into fists at her sides, trembling with fury. She took a step towards him, Ron seeing her eyes were glittering with tears.  
  
"WAKE UP, RON!!!" she screamed at him.  
  
He took a step backwards, fearing she was going to hit him again; he'd never seen her so angry before in his life. She took another step towards him and he flinched, instinctively putting up one hand to protect himself. "Whoa, Hermione, wait a second - "  
  
"YOU - ARE - SO - INSENSITIVE!!" she seethed.  
  
"Me??" he said, pointing to his cheek, "I can sense pretty well, thank you very much!"  
  
"Oh, you - " Hermione took another swing at him, though, now forewarned, Ron managed to jump back and avoid it, though in so doing he nearly tripped over one of the large clay flower pots that dotted this part of the hall.  
  
"Hey! Hold it!" he said, briefly considering drawing his wand for self- defence, seeing that Hermione was beyond furious now. She took another step towards him, Ron backing off hurriedly, putting up his hands in surrender.  
  
"Okay, whoa, Hermione," he said, trying to sound as calm and as reasonable circumstances allowed. "L-let's talk this over, okay?"  
  
Hermione stopped, tears streaming down her face. "I can't believe you, Ron..." she said hoarsely, slowly shaking her head.  
  
He blinked. "Hey...what's wrong? Hermione?" he asked, his confusion increasing markedly.  
  
She looked at him strangely, almost hopelessly. She closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to bring her breathing under control. When she finally she opened her eyes, Ron saw they were still gleaming with tears.  
  
"You've treated Luna like dirt, Ron," she said, her voice quivering. "She's been nothing but a friend to you, to all of us, and the best you can do is throw chocolates in her face and call her Loony..." Ron's shoulders sagged. She had a way of making it sound so terrible...  
  
"I know she tries, Hermione, but...it's just..."  
  
"There aren't any 'buts', Ron," said Hermione, coming to stand before him, Ron keeping a close eye on her hands for any sudden movement. "She saved your life last year, remember? Mine too, or she just as well would have...she doesn't deserve being shunned like that..."  
  
Ron blinked. "I know, Hermione, she just...I don't know..." he trailed off.  
  
"You know Ron, none of us ever asked for her help," Hermione continued, her voice strained, "And yet she's been there for us when the going got rough, she risked her life for us, Ron, and nearly got killed in the process..."  
  
She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the tears. "She doesn't deserve to be treated like garbage..." her voice broke as she dropped her face into her hands, shoulders shaking.  
  
Ron was beginning to feel intensely self-conscious. He'd never really looked at Luna as anything other than a strange oddball, but when he really thought about it, he knew Hermione was right. He'd taken his frustrations out on her at every available opportunity. The memory of Luna staring at him quietly right after he'd just flung the box of chocolates at her came flooding back into his mind. How would he have felt, had he been on the receiving end? All because of two giggling shoolgirls...  
  
He slumped up against the wall and slid down to the floor.  
  
For a while both were quiet, Ron staring at his feet, disconcerted and speechless, Hermione coming to sit next to him, sobbing quietly in her hands.  
  
Several minutes passed in silence. "You know, Ron," Hermione said after a while, wiping her eyes, "I was really hoping you'd be the one to invite her...that would have made all the difference..."  
  
"How can you be sure, though?" he asked. "I mean, nothing ever bothers her; you never see her complaining."  
  
"How do we know what bothers her and what doesn't, Ron?" asked Hermione softly, "We've never really asked, have we? The only thing I do know is that she wants you to accept her."  
  
Ron looked at her, a worried expression on his face. "She...told you that?"  
  
"Well, no," said Hermione heavily, "But l can tell, Ron. I don't think she would've gone to all the trouble of making those chocolates if she wasn't sincere about making you feel better. But she's such an odd book to read, really...she opened up to me a little once, about her mother...she saw her die right in front of her when she was nine, you know..."  
  
Ron looked horrified. "Blimey," he said. "I...I didn't know..."  
  
She leaned her head up against the wall next to him. "Did you know she's spending the holidays alone this year?" she said softly.  
  
Ron looked genuinely aggrieved to hear this. "Why's she staying here? Doesn't she go to her Dad's, I mean they don't live too far from the Burrow...it's the same train ride, isn't it?"  
  
Hermione looked thoroughly demoralized. "Her Dad had to leave...he had to go settle an estate somewhere, an uncle of his passed away," she said. "Harry told me this morning."  
  
"Oh..." said Ron, beginning to feel truly terrible about how he'd treated Luna of late. "Well...maybe I can ask her to come in the morning..."  
  
"That would be really nice, Ron," said Hermione. "I think she lost her mother during the holidays too...it's so sad she has to spend Christmas alone, I asked her to come skiing with me and my folks, but she wouldn't hear of us spending our money on her...that, and she thinks skiing is bizarre, she said."  
  
"Well...okay then," said Ron. "I'll go ask her first thing in the morning."  
  
Hermione clutched his arm so suddenly it made him jump.  
  
"No, seriously, I will, really," he said.  
  
Hermione shook her head. "No, did you hear that - "  
  
Ron listened. Everything seemed typically quiet to his ears. "No, what?" he whispered.  
  
"I thought I heard something..."  
  
He listened again. The halls remained stubbornly silent to his ears. Only the moving paintings gave any sign of life in the corridor.  
  
"It's probably nothing, Hermione," he said. He turned back to her. "Listen, I can finish up the patrol myself, if you'd like to go back - "  
  
Hermione managed a small smile. "No, I'm all right, Ron. Let's just finish up this floor and call it a night." They gathered themselves up and proceeded down the hall, Hermione recalling the day when she and Harry had discovered a cranberry sauce-covered Luna in this same corridor. "Um...sorry about hitting you like that," said Hermione, "But I just...well, I really feel for Luna, you know?"  
  
"Yeah, I noticed," said Ron, rubbing his jaw. "It's okay though, really. I guess I had it coming..."  
  
"I still kick myself sometimes," she said softly, "When I think back to last year...I know her so much better now, even if some of what she believes in is utter nonsense..."  
  
They were passing the door to the library when Hermione suddenly grabbed hold of Ron's arm. "Listen!" she whispered.  
  
Ron edged closer to the library entrance, Hermione moving aside to make room for him.  
  
Ron pressed his ear against the door. This time there was no doubt; there were definitely voices coming from inside the library, though it had been closed for at least a couple of hours by now. He couldn't make out any words, muffled as they were, but one of the voices sounded odd, almost disembodied, somehow.  
  
"What do you make of it?" he whispered to Hermione, his ear firmly glued to the door.  
  
"I don't know," she said, "but they have no business in there, whoever they are." She drew her wand from her robes and straightened her prefect's badge.  
  
Ron drew back and pulled out his own wand, grabbing hold of the ornate door handle. "Ready?" he asked.  
  
She nodded. He twisted the knob and made to barge quickly inside, but only managed to collide noisily with the unmoving door. He could hear the sound of something snapping shut on the other side, accompanied by more muffled voices. "Blast it!" he said, quickly backing off and pointing his wand at the lock. "What's that spell again!?"  
  
"Alohomora," said Hermione quickly, as a soft gold light emerging from her wand and unlocking the door with a loud click.  
  
Ron opened the door and burst through into the pitch black library.  
  
"Lumos," he said, holding his wand aloft. "Who's there??"  
  
Hermione stepped in to stand next to him, her own glowing wand held aloft.  
  
There was no one to be seen, though a telltale wisp of smoke rising from one of the tables in the reading area betrayed a recently extinguished candle. They advanced cautiously towards it, keeping a careful eye around them.  
  
Just as they approached to within arm's length of the table, Ron saw a figure dart out from behind one of the large plush chairs, making a quick beeline for the door. He instinctively lunged, managing to grapple the intruder by the leg and causing it to crash to the floor, a black leather- clad book toppling out near him.  
  
"Accio book!" the stranger cried, retaking possession of the tome as he scrambled to his feet, wand pointing straight at Ron, who was not also on his feet, pointing his own wand in return.  
  
"Bugger off, Weasley!" the figure said angrily.  
  
"You've got no business being here, Malfoy!" Ron shot back. "It's past curfew, library's closed!"  
  
Hermione joined Ron, her own wand pointing right at Malfoy's head. "Just what were you up to, Malfoy?" she said suspiciously, scowling at the blonde- haired Slytherin. "Tell us now."  
  
At that, Malfoy seemed to hesitate. With two wands pointing at him, and with no Crabbe or Goyle around to protect him, he seemed to rethink his position, slowly stashing his wand back into his robes. "You've got no more business being here than I do, mudblood!" he hissed.  
  
"Ha!" said Hermione. "We're out on prefect's patrol, what are you doing here? And who were you talking to, anyway?"  
  
Malfoy shot her a baneful look, though he stifled any riposte. He quickly turned around and stormed out of the library.  
  
"Hey!" yelled Ron. "We're not through with you yet!"  
  
"Oh, let him go, Ron," said Hermione, lowering her wand. "He's a prefect too, there's really nothing we can do..."  
  
Ron slowly lowered his wand, looking intensely disappointed. He turned to Hermione. "Say, did you see that book he was carrying?"  
  
"Yes," she said. "Why, do you think he stole it from the Restricted Section?"  
  
He shook his head. "I've seen that book before, Hermione." 


	13. Luna's Year, part XIII

Ron staggered down the last few steps of the Gryffindor tower in a near stupor. But then, that was hardly surprising, considering he'd tossed and turned all night long, awakening every few minutes; he doubted if he'd gotten as much as a couple of hours' slumber all told. Normally a sound sleeper, he needed his nightly eight hours to avoid feeling lethargic the next day; getting only a couple of hours had transformed him into something akin to a zombie.  
  
Staggering out into the Common Room, he consoled himself with the thought that he was going to spend the next few days at home, where he could savour his mother's cooking and recharge his batteries. He wandered over to the fireplace.  
  
"Hey," greeted Neville from the large divan facing the fire. He appeared to be stuffing a small box with bits of shredded newspaper. "You're up early!"  
  
Ron yawned as he turned his back to the fire, inching backward towards it until he felt the soothing warmth of the flames rise up his legs and back. "Couldn't sleep," he said drowsily. "Did anybody else come down yet?"  
  
"Nope," replied Neville, shredding up more newspaper and dropping it into his box. "Not since I've been here, anyway."  
  
"That's for Trevor, right? Don't you have a cage for that?" asked Ron, recalling Neville's old second hand birdcage.  
  
"Are you kidding?" said Neville, patting down the shredded paper along the walls of the container. "It's freezing out there...at least this will keep him warm enough till we get to the train."  
  
Ron nodded, turning around and putting his hands over the fire, gradually warming himself up to a tolerable degree. "Well," he said after a few minutes, "I'm going to go grab a bite, you coming?"  
  
"No, I can't," answered Neville. "I've got to go pack, I never got around to it last night. I'll meet you there later, though."  
  
Ron yawned and crept off through the small tunnel and emerged into the hall, making his way through the bright, seasonally decorated corridors. There seemed to be quite a bit of mistletoe floating about this year, he noticed. Probably Flitwick's doing, he mused. He yawned and waved to a couple of passing second year Gryffindors, headed back in the direction of Gryffindor tower.  
  
As he entered the long central corridor, he made for the Great Hall when he saw Luna Lovegood dreamily walking down from the far end. Hoping to duck out of sight before she noticed him, he marched quickly to the open doors leading into the Great Hall, before a realization struck him. Oh wait, he thought, recalling everything Hermione had said the previous evening, silently kicking himself.  
  
He stopped and turned around again, waiting for the Ravenclaw. Okay Ron, he thought, just take a deep breath...  
  
She strolled slowly down the hall as though lost in the forest, gazing dreamily at the various colourful decorations floating about, finally drifting to the large Christmas Tree that graced the castle's main entrance. She slowly wandered around its base, gazing at the myriad ornaments, candles and ribbons sprinkled through its green branches, coming to a stop at the near side. She took out a small object from her robes and gingerly placed it in an undecorated spot under one of the lower overhanging branches.  
  
She took a step back and contemplated it thoughtfully, before stepping forward once more and turning the new ornament to face another direction. After gazing at it a moment longer, she seemed to take satisfaction in its current position and stood back, gazing contentedly up at the tree, as though taking in its beauty for the first time.  
  
Ron sighed, tapping his foot and growing increasingly impatient. His stomach was growling angrily. C'mon, already, he thought impatiently.  
  
He slowly walked up next to her, who continued gazing dreamily at the tree, apparently oblivious to his presence. He glanced at the ornament she'd just affixed, surprised to see his eyes drawn to a beautiful and intricate miniature wreath, made out of twigs, small pine cones, acorns, dried flowers and other tiny odds and ends.  
  
Wow, he thought, that's actually not bad...  
  
He counted six tiny dandelions scattered about its rim, each one larger than the rest of the dried flowers and clearly meant to be symbolic of something, though he couldn't guess as to what.  
  
"Um...hi, Luna," he said hesitantly.  
  
She turned and looked at him with a vacant expression. "Oh hello, Ronald," she said vaguely, turning back to the fir. "It's a rather beautiful tree this year, isn't it?"  
  
"Er, yeah," he replied, grateful that she was concentrating her unnerving gaze at the tree and not him. He waited for her to wake from her apparent reverie.  
  
He quickly lost patience with that plan. "Um...what's that you're carrying?" he asked.  
  
She turned her large silvery eyes on him, making him wish he'd kept silent. "It's a blanket," she replied serenely, holding it out for him to see. "Ginny let me borrow it last night. I wanted to bring it back before she left, I didn't want someone taking it seeing as it's not mine."  
  
"Um....yeah, I guess," he said, becoming more uncomfortable by the moment. He had to broach the subject quickly before he lost his nerve. He took a deep breath. "Err...listen, Luna, I was, um, wondering..."  
  
She held the blanket up against her chest with both arms folded over it protectively and gave him her undivided attention, which hardly served to decrease his unease. Her pale eyes were gazing intently at him in the unblinking manner which he found so disconcerting.  
  
"We're, um, sort of going to the Burrow, well, no, definitely to the Burrow, for the holidays, I mean, with my folks and I was, um, wondering, you know, if you'd like, to um, go, I mean come with us, on the train and stuff, you know...to the Burrow...for Christmas..." Blimey, he thought, nice and smooth, Ron, she'll think you're the one who's nutters...  
  
"I'd love to," answered Luna suddenly, smiling dreamily at him. "That's quite sweet of you, actually. Thank you, Ronald!"  
  
With that, she headed off in the direction of the Gryffindor tower, Ron exhaling once he realized he'd been holding his breath. He turned back towards the Great Hall, taking one last glance in Luna's direction before heading through the doors, noting her normally serene, drifting walk had turned into a most exuberant gait, practically bounding up the stone steps to the Gryffindor tower before disappearing from view.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry heaved his suitcase onto the rack over the seat, pushing it over the guide rail until it was snugly in place, before turning back and helping Hermione do likewise, putting it up beside his own. He looked back to the door, noting that was the last one, everyone was here. He took his seat, nearest to the door.  
  
Luna was sitting on the opposite side Hermione, next to the window; Harry noticed she'd put the her raven up on the luggage shelf, enclosed in a rather large circular cage, electing to keep her bag at her feet, a rolled up copy of The Quibbler sticking out one side. Ginny, sitting in the middle between her and Hermione, seemed to be having some difficulty suppressing her amusement at Ron's obvious discomfort trying to cope with Luna's staring, having haplessly ended up in the seat directly opposite the Ravenclaw.  
  
Harry smiled. He'd been in the process of unpacking his suitcase that morning when Ginny ran up excitedly to inform him Luna was coming to the Burrow after all. It had saved him from having to explain to Ron about his sudden change in plans. But, now that Ron had invited Luna along, he felt this was going to be a thoroughly enjoyable holiday.  
  
He wondered inwardly at what had provoked the sudden change in Ron, though he certainly wasn't complaining; Ginny said she'd rarely seen Luna so happy. By the time he'd repacked and made his way down to the Common Room she'd already left, undoubtedly to pack her own things.  
  
"That's it!" exclaimed Ron suddenly, making Harry jump. "That's where I saw it!"  
  
"Saw what?" asked Hermione, looking at Ron in confusion. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"That book Malfoy had!" replied Ron excitedly. "That symbol on the cover, I remember where I saw one just like it!"  
  
Hermione thought for a moment. "You mean last night in the library?"  
  
Ron had told Harry of their suspicious encounter with Malfoy the previous night; while it was certainly cause for concern, they hadn't actually caught him red-handed, other than sneaking his way into the library after hours. Ron hadn't mentioned anything about a book, though.  
  
"Yes!" said Ron. "I can't believe I couldn't remember before...it was that book Lestrange had in the forest, remember?"  
  
Hermione's eyes went wide. "Holy cricket!" she said.  
  
"What?" Harry asked, suddenly becoming concerned. "He had Lestrange's book with him last night? Here in the library?"  
  
"Yes! Blimey!" Ron said, "Why couldn't I have remembered that last night? We've got to tell Dumbledore!"  
  
"What's the book about?" asked Ginny curiously.  
  
"Who knows?" Ron said. "But it can't be anything good, I'd wager..."  
  
"I wonder if it's a ledger?" mused Hermione almost to herself. "It might have a list of names, contacts..."  
  
"Cripes, the Order could really use something like that!" exclaimed Ron.  
  
"Well, hold on," Hermione said, "We're just speculating here at best...and look, Malfoy wasn't staying at Hogwarts during the holidays anyway, right?" "That's true," Harry said. "Okay, he won't do anything for now, but when we get back we should investigate this..."  
  
"It could just be any ratty old book, anyway," said Ginny. "I mean, leather- bound books aren't exactly rare, are they?"  
  
"No, no, it's definitely the one I saw," said Ron. "Ore one just like it. It had the same runes on the cover, that's what made me think of it..."  
  
"What runes?" chimed Lune, looking at Ron curiously.  
  
"I can't remember exactly," he said. "I only saw them for a second...but I'm almost positive they were the same ones I saw on that book in the forest."  
  
"When we get back," said Harry, leaning forward, "We'll go to the library and have a brainstorming session...we have to figure out a way to get that book, or at least see what's in it."  
  
They chatted animatedly for a time, until they felt the train give a slight lurch, the signal that they had gotten underway.  
  
"Well," said Hermione, rising from her seat and looking at Ron. "We may as well go do our patrol now, shouldn't we?"  
  
Ron sighed. Harry couldn't help but get the feeling he'd never really been terribly enthusiastic about his Prefect's duties.  
  
"Yeah, all right," said Ron, slowly getting up and following Hermione out of the compartment, sliding the door closed behind him.  
  
Luna's turned her gaze to Neville, who reached up and grabbed his cardboard box from the shelf, removing the cover. "I guess I can let him out for a bit in here," he said, tilting the box over onto his lap.  
  
The amphibian jumped out onto Ron's vacated seat.  
  
"Toad!" Harry was startled by the sudden loud croaking voice. "Food!"  
  
There was a loud flapping noise, Harry glancing up to see Luna's raven furiously pecking away at the lock of its cage. Luna stood up serenely and turned around to face the excited bird.  
  
"Hey, don't let him out!" cried Neville, lunging for his toad, who had already jumped clear to the floor. "He'll eat Trevor!"  
  
Luna gave the raven a few treats from her pocket. "You're not to eat him, Nevermore," she said, pointing to the toad jumping about the compartment. "He's Neville's pet. His name is Trevor. Do you understand?"  
  
The raven stopped its flapping and peered at her. "No toad?" it croaked.  
  
"No toad," nodded Luna, handing it a few more treats before retaking her seat.  
  
"Whoa!" said Neville in astonishment, ogling the raven, "I didn't know it could talk!"  
  
"I've been teaching him," said Luna dreamily, "Ravens can speak quite well, you know."  
  
"Mum and Dad will love to see that," said Ginny. "Mum just loves birds, and Dad, well, anything that's out of the ordinary gets his interest going."  
  
Harry grinned. He'll sure take a liking to Luna, then, he thought.  
  
"Why'd you bring it along, anyway?" asked Neville, taking out a bag of Pepper Imps from his pocket and proceeding to chew on one.  
  
Luna turned her gaze on him. "He can't stay in the owlery," she said. "Owls and ravens don't get along very well, you know, so I've been keeping him in the dormitory...but I couldn't leave him there for an entire week, no one would take care of him."  
  
Harry glanced up at the large bird. Though it had settled back down, he supposed it could be a bit intimidating if let out of its cage. He kicked himself for not having thought to ask Hagrid to take care of it for a few days; a raven to him would be like a budgie to Harry.  
  
* * *  
  
"Luna, would you be a dear and pass the cranberry sauce?" asked Molly Weasley.  
  
With ten people sitting at the table, there was barely enough room in the Weasley's small, impossibly cluttered kitchen for anyone to slide by; though with winter's grip firmly established, there was no question of eating out in the garden as they'd done during the summer holiday.  
  
Harry watched the young Ravenclaw carefully pass the bowl down to Mrs. Weasley, recalling the last time he'd seen Luna and cranberry sauce together; it hadn't exactly been the most pleasant of experiences for her.  
  
"So how's Andrew doing these days, Luna?" asked Arthur Weasley from the end of the table, smiling at her. "I haven't seen him since the World Cup, blimey, time flies! Still running The Quibbler, I imagine?"  
  
"Yes," said Luna dreamily, delicately spooning some of Mrs. Weasley's almond butternut cheeseballs onto her plate. "Daddy says readership has gone up quite a lot since last year; we might even be able to go back to Sweden again this summer!"  
  
"Sweden?" said Charlie, seated directly across from her. "Good choice...that's a great place to spend summer holidays; I went there for a bit after graduation, they have some of the best trout fishing in Europe."  
  
"They're fishing for something else," giggled Ginny, Charlie glancing unknowingly at her. Harry forced himself in maintaining a straight face while Luna nibbled away serenely on a pearl onion she'd impaled on a toothpick, her unblinking gaze directed intently at Ron's older brother. She'd been staring at him ever since they'd sat down for supper, in fact.  
  
"Oh, yeah?" said Charlie, "More into salmon, are you, or grayling maybe?"  
  
Luna shook her head. "We're collecting evidence of the existence of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack," she said conversationally. "We went last summer, but we only found a few tracks. Still, Daddy said it's only a matter of time before we see one, and then he can write it all in The Quibbler for the readers."  
  
She suddenly put her onion down. "I don't know who you are," she said, abruptly changing the subject in mid-discussion.  
  
Charlie blinked and smiled bemusedly and looking quite nonplussed, while Ginny almost choked trying to keep her eggnog down. Evidently Luna had never met Charlie before, Harry thought. Of course, with Charlie having graduated from Hogwarts several years ago and spending most of his time in central Europe since then, it wasn't too surprising.  
  
"Er..." said Charlie, glancing at Molly, "I'm - ".  
  
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley. "I'm so sorry, I forgot to introduce you! Luna, this is Charlie, second eldest in the family, you know. He works with dragons in Romania...Charlie, this is Luna Lovegood, Andrew's daughter, she's in her fifth year at Hogwarts, in Ravenclaw, if I remember, isn't that right, dear?"  
  
"That's what you get for joining the party so late, Charlie," smiled Arthur Weasley.  
  
Harry grinned at the sight of him; while Charlie was always very calm and easy-going, it was an amusing twist to see him taken aback by Luna's uniquely meandering personality. Ron, on the other hand, seemed intensely satisfied to have someone else be the target of Luna's unnerving stares. "Pleased to meet you, Luna," said Charlie belatedly, and smiling brightly, as she'd taken up nibbling on her onion again. "What exactly is a...Crumple- Nosed...um, what?"  
  
Ginny burst into giggles. Luna snapped her head around. "They're real, you know!" she said sharply.  
  
"Er...what's real?" asked Charlie. Fred and George looked at each other, identical wry smiles on each of their faces.  
  
"Her dad comes up with these theories - " elaborated Ron, addressing Charlie.  
  
"They're not theories!" protested Luna. "There's plenty of evidence - "  
  
"They think there's these little horned rabbits hopping around all over the place," continued Ron, "That Quibbler paper is always full of stuff like that - "  
  
Luna picked up a pearl onion from her plate and flung it at Ron, hitting him in the eye before it dropped down and splashed into his cup of nutmeg.  
  
"OW!!" cried Ron, rubbing his eye with one hand and spooning out a large heap of mashed potatoes with the other. "Food fight!" he yelled, Ginny quickly grabbing some stuffing off her plate, while Fred and George scrambled to pick their nutritional weapons of choice. Harry hastily pushed back from the table and prepared to duck.  
  
"PEOPLE PEOPLE PEOPLE!!!" shrieked Molly, bolting up from her chair so quickly that it skidded back into the pantry. "There will be NO food fights in this house! Drop your taters this instant, young man!" she said, pointing her fork threateningly at Ron.  
  
"But she threw an onion at me! Right in the eye, too! Blimey, I could've been blinded!" objected Ron, reluctantly dropping his food back onto his plate upon seeing his mother was not going to listen to his arguments.  
  
"She is a guest in this house, Ron Weasley," lectured Molly. "Honestly, where are your manners today? Sid I raise you to be an uncouth boor?!"  
  
"Uncouth!" joked Fred, elbowing George. "Ouch! Hear that, our little brother's lost his couth without us there at Hogwarts to keep 'im in line!"  
  
"Okay, fine," muttered Ron under his breath, his ears turning scarlet, twisting his spoon loosely in his potatoes. Harry almost chocked trying to keep from bursting out laughing at the sight of Luna sticking her tongue out at Ron before resolutely turning back to her cheeseballs. Harry figured he'd better have a talk with Ron about taking shots at The Quibbler; he never seemed to learn.  
  
"Anyway," interjected Bill, turning to his father as Molly retook her seat, "Has anyone heard from Tonks lately? Moody told me she was supposed to check in last week."  
  
Harry's ears picked up. He glanced at Ginny, who was also listening attentively. Luna, however, was contentedly nibbling away on her cheeseballs, staring alternately at the people around the table.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't get too worked up just yet," Mr. Weasley was saying. "She might just not be in a good position to contact him, you know, with the - " he glanced at the students, "The job she's doing."  
  
"Yeah, well, I'd still feel a lot better knowing she's all right," said Bill. "You know, that - er - job is kind of sensitive, and all."  
  
"Oh, I know," said Mr. Weasley. "But really, Bill, think about it - there's no one better for it, is there? Especially with her, um...talent."  
  
"I realize that," Bill was saying, "But still, we shouldn't assume anything. It could, er - "  
  
"Oh for heaven's sake," exclaimed Ginny, dropping her fork on her plate, unable to contain herself any longer. "We know all about the 'job'! Will you all stop trying to tiptoe around us!"  
  
"You do?" asked Mr. Weasley, stunned at that bit of news. "How'd you find out?"  
  
"Hope there hasn't been a leak," said Charlie worriedly, glancing at his older brother.  
  
"There hasn't been a leak, all right? Now listen," said Ginny, as she proceeded to recount the events of their furtive attempt to recover the pensieve in the Shrieking Shack.  
  
When she'd finished, Mr. Weasley seemed under the influence of the stupefy hex, while Mrs. Weasley looked horrified, hands covering her mouth in shock as she stared wide-eyed at Luna, who'd continued nibbling serenely on her pearl onions and cheeseballs throughout, as though they were discussing the latest Quidditch scores.  
  
"Good lord," said Mr. Weasley finally, breaking the silence. "That was...extraordinary."  
  
"Arthur!!" protested Molly, slapping his arm.  
  
"...extraordinarily unwise," he continued in a reprimanding tone and wagging his finger at them all. Harry glanced at Ron, knowing that Arthur Weasley wasn't one to seriously berate anyone. "That was most reckless, children, and I hope you'll think twice before embarking on such a perilous undertaking again."  
  
"Hang on," said Bill, addressing Ginny, "What you said...when Tonks assumed her normal form...was there anyone around that could've seen her?"  
  
"I don't think so," answered Harry, as Ginny had been unconscious during that part of their encounter. "One of the Death Eaters was already knocked out, and the other had run off by then..."  
  
Though the more Harry thought about it, the more he wondered if someone might have lingered long enough to see something; he never did figure out how Malfoy and his cronies had somehow managed to extricate themselves from the tunnel, after all, especially as they'd all been bound. Could there have been another Death Eater they hadn't detected? But no,...if there had, he'd certainly have attacked, wouldn't he, thought Harry.  
  
He looked at his Ravenclaw friend across the table. And Luna would have seen anyone under a disillusionment charm, anyway...  
  
"Well, there you have it," Mr. Weasley was saying, leaning back in his chair. "Don't fret, boys. Tonks knows her stuff, I'm sure she's fine. She might've just reported directly to Dumbledore, seeing as how she's in that area these days."  
  
Harry looked at Ginny. His own thoughts seemingly reflected in her eyes, as she looked apprehensively back at him.  
  
* * *  
  
"Well, what do you think?" asked Ginny, plopping herself down on her bed and facing Luna, who was sitting on the edge of hers.  
  
"He seems nice," said Luna dreamily, running her hands absent-mindedly over the blankets. She looked back to her friend. "I was a bit disappointed he didn't know about Snorkacks though, especially as he works in Romania, after all."  
  
Ginny blinked. "No, silly!" she laughed. "I meant about what they said about Tonks?"  
  
Luna stared at her. "Oh, well, we didn't really learn much, did we?" she said. "We don't really know what goes on in that Order of theirs. I think they're entirely too secretive, really...your father did seem rather worried, though."  
  
"You saw that too?" asked Ginny. Her father had tried to give the outward impression that everything was fine, at least in front of the students. But his body language had told her that he was apprehensive about something.  
  
Luna nodded vaguely, gazing about the room.  
  
"You have such a nice house," she said dreamily, changing the subject as easily as one would draw a breath, taking in Ginny's small and cluttered bedroom. "I've seen it from the outside, of course, but it's even nicer inside."  
  
"Well, it's home," said Ginny off-handedly. "I guess you get used to it after a while. Don't let the looks fool you though, there's lots of little problems with it; Dad's always having to recast his charms to keep it all sticking together."  
  
"Ours is always infested with Bollywoggles in winter," said Luna, eyes popping madly as though the creatures were ready to pounce out of the closet any second, "Daddy thinks they come in through the plumbing, you know, just before the pond freezes over."  
  
"Eh?" asked Ginny curiously, removing her slippers and throwing them beneath her bed. "What's a Bollywoggle?"  
  
To Ginny they sounded like one of Luna's mysterious fantasy creatures, but if they were actually in her house...  
  
"Oh, they're dreadful little beasties," said Luna. "I really don't like it when they tie my hair at night, though it wouldn't be so bad if they didn't make double knots."  
  
Ginny winced. She wondered how she could sleep if she knew little creatures were likely to come out of the woodwork and play with her hair while she slept...  
  
"Eww..." she said, grimacing, "Can't you like, hex them out?"  
  
"Oh, yes," replied Luna, "But they're clever little things, really. They always find a way back. Anyway, did you hear, Kirley McCormack said they're going to include a stop at Ottery St Catchpole next year as part of their tour, isn't that peachy?"  
  
"Who?" asked Ginny, confused. "Kirley McCormack?"  
  
"Oh, come on," said Luna, "You know Kirley McCormack, he's lead guitarist for the Weird Sisters; you've got a picture of them right there," she pointed at the poster of the Weird Sisters hanging on the wall just above Ginny's dresser.  
  
"Oh!" said Ginny, finally recalling where she'd heard the name before. "Okay, I know who you're talking about now! I saw them at the Yule Ball a couple of years ago, they were great!!"  
  
"I didn't get to see them," said Luna sadly, "But maybe I'll get another chance when they come by next year...hopefully Daddy will be able to get us tickets...did you know Donaghan Tremlett is from this area too? I didn't know that until I read about it in this month's Quibbler," she said, pointing to her bag on the floor. "You can read it tonight if you like." "Well, maybe tomorrow, thanks Luna," Ginny said, stretching her arms and stifling a yawn. "I think I'm going to go get a glass of milk and hit the sack though, I'm bushed."  
  
"It is rather late," said Luna dreamily, running her hands slowly over her blankets. "Well at least I won't wake up shivering this night..."  
  
"Oh!" exclaimed Ginny. "Hang on, I can't believe I was forgetting - "  
  
She crouched down beside her bed and pulled out a box from underneath, colourfully decorated with gold and green Christmas wrapping, turning around and putting it on Luna's lap.  
  
"This is from Hermione and me," she said, smiling. "Happy Christmas, Luna."  
  
Luna stared at the box for several moments, mouth slightly open as though disbelieving what she was seeing, before finally raising her gaze to Ginny, silver eyes wide, her expression even more surprised than usual.  
  
"Ginny?" she said softly. "This...I didn't..." she trailed off, a strange look in her eyes, almost as if she could not for the life of her comprehend why anyone would want to give her a Christmas present.  
  
"Well, come on, open it!" said Ginny eagerly.  
  
Luna stared at her a while longer before turning her attention back to the box sitting on her lap, proceeding to very delicately remove the bow and ribbons, and was being exceedingly careful about not tearing the paper as she slowly unwrapped the box.  
  
"Oh, just rip it open, Luna!" said Ginny, hopping up and down anxiously on the edge of her bed. "It's just paper!"  
  
Luna bit her lip and slowly tore the rest of the paper off as though it was a painful exercise. She turned the box back upright and gingerly lifted off the cover, carefully lifting out the blue and bronze coloured hand knitted blanket, Hogwarts crest emblazoned on the top, the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw crests side by side on the reverse.  
  
"Hermione and I took turns knitting it over the last couple of months," said Ginny. "Ever since they started taking your blankets, we figured it might come in handy..."  
  
Luna stared at Ginny and swallowed hard, running a hand back through her long, dirty blonde hair. She remained quiet for several moments, looking down at the unfolded blanket on her lap.  
  
"This is...very sweet, Ginny..." she said, her voice unusually quiet. "Thank you..." Ginny leaned forward. "Luna, are you okay? What's wrong...hey, whoa..." she got up and quickly sat down next to her friend on the other bed.  
  
Luna raised her head and looked at her. Her large silver eyes were very misty, which was doubly shocking to Ginny considering she'd never seen her in such a state.  
  
"I really...didn't expect this..." said Luna softly, "I didn't even get you anything..."  
  
"Well you deserve it!" said Ginny encouragingly. "And you already gave us our Christmas presents a long time ago, oh gosh, Luna, I didn't want to make you sad..."  
  
Luna shook her head vigorously, strands of long pale locks whipping across Ginny's face in the process. "I'm not," she said earnestly.  
  
She held the blanket up again. "It really is lovely, isn't it..." she whispered.  
  
"Well...are you sure you're okay?" asked Ginny with genuine concern.  
  
Luna looked at her and nodded, smiling dreamily. "Oh, yes..."  
  
"Oh, and nobody can steal this one from you, either," said Ginny. "Hermione put a charm on it, once you put it on any bed, you're the only one who can remove it."  
  
Luna looked at the blanket in her hands. "Really? How does it work?"  
  
"Yeah, here, I'll show you," said Ginny, standing. "You'll have to get off the bed, though."  
  
Luna stood up. "Okay, now cover the bed with it," instructed Ginny.  
  
Once Luna had drawn the blanket over, Ginny took hold of the top edge. "Okay, now watch this," she said, and went to pull it off.  
  
The blanket immediately came to life, digging itself in under the mattress and pulling itself very tight. Ginny couldn't even manage to pull so much as a corner out of place, tugging furiously. "Nope - it's not going anywhere," she said with satisfaction. "Now you try it."  
  
Luna delicately took a corner and pulled up, watching with astonishment as the blanket loosened itself and drew off the bed without protest.  
  
"What charm is this?" asked Luna, staring at the blanket in wonderment.  
  
"Well, I'm not sure, actually," said Ginny. "That was Hermione's doing. I think she asked Professor Flitwick for help too. It works pretty well though, doesn't it?" Luna nodded, staring at her for several moments before throwing the blanket on the bed and hugging her startled friend.  
  
"Thank you ever so much, Ginny..."  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione was in the process of unpacking her suitcase up in her bedroom when she heard a shriek from downstairs, clearly her mother's. The sound made her heart race, as her mother was such a calm and collected woman and definitely not one to panic so.  
  
She dropped the socks she was holding and quickly grabbed her wand from her dresser, bolting for the stairs. Though technically not permitted to use magic outside of school, if her mother was in some kind of danger, the rules would fly out the window, for all she cared, racing down the stairs and almost running into her father who was at the same moment hurrying up from the basement.  
  
She ran into the kitchen just in time to see her mother violently thrusting a broom at the open window above the sink, trying to repel what looked like a large black raven trying to force its way in.  
  
"Mum, no!" yelled Hermione, running to the sink and pushing the broom away. "It's Luna's! Don't hurt it!"  
  
"What?!" Her mother gaped at her as the raven finally hopped down onto the counter, eyeing the older woman warily. "You mean - it's a post - raven?"  
  
"Yes!" said Hermione, the corvid sticking its leg out, a rolled-up message clearly visible. "Luna got him a little over a month ago, his name's Nevermore." She proceeded to carefully unwrap the message.  
  
Hermione's dad chuckled. "Well, that's a switch," he said laughingly. "Owls delivering mail are strange enough but a raven..."  
  
"Well, Luna's kind of...unique," said Hermione, opening the drawer and grabbing some of the treats she usually gave to Hedwig and Pigwidgeon.  
  
"Um...do you like these?" she said, holding out a few treats for Nevermore to see. "They're for owls, normally, I don't have anything specifically for ravens."  
  
"Fine," croaked Nevermore, making Mrs. Granger jump. Hermione held them out as the raven quickly snapped them up one by one, then promptly hopped back up on the window sill before flying off into the night.  
  
"Honestly," Hermione's mother was saying, "That bird scared the dickens out of me...I kept hearing it tapping louder and louder at the window, till I got worried it might shatter, so I tried to shoo it off - " she looked at Hermione. "Why on Earth would anyone want a bird like that?"  
  
Hermione smiled at her. "It's just Luna, Mum," she said. "I'd like to invite her over for a weekend this summer; she's really...well, different, but she's very sweet, really. You'll like her."  
  
"Well," said Mrs. Granger as she looked at her husband, "I suppose it's all right, we didn't have any particular plans for this summer, did we?" He shook his head.  
  
"Great!" said Hermione. "Thanks, Mum!" She ran up the stairs to her bedroom.  
  
She sat on the edge of her bed next to forgotten suitcase and unrolled the parchment. She was surprised at fluid smoothness of Luna's script, as she'd never shared any classes with her and it was the first time she'd seen the Ravenclaw's handwriting; somehow she'd expected it to a bit more homespun in appearance:  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
How are you getting on? Hopefully you enjoyed your ski trip and didn't injure yourself. I never really understood why Muggles like to ski so much; it seems so odd, tying sticks to one's feet and sliding down hills...but then, perhaps it's the closest they came come to flying on broomsticks, I suppose.  
  
Things here at the Weasley's been quite enjoyable. I'm still rather surprised that Ronald invited me over for the holidays, he's a bit odd isn't he? Well, I really wasn't looking forward to spending Christmas alone this year, and the Weasleys are really nice; William is working at Gringotts in London now; he's seeing Fleur Delacourt, she was that girl from Beauxbatons, did you know? He apparently used to be a curse-breaker for Gringotts in Egypt until recently; I imagine he must be quite good at deciphering runes and such. Anyway, I met Charles yesterday for the first time; he said he works with dragons in Romania, which sounds really interesting, don't you think? I'm under the distinct impression he's doing something for the Order down there too, from the sounds of it. He's never heard of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks though, unfortunately...I was rather hopeful he might have, as Daddy tells me Romania is one of the best sighting hot spots for them, aside from Sweden. Oh well. I imagine he has his hands full with dragons.  
  
By the way, I think something odd is going on about Percival, I noticed he wasn't there for the holidays, but when I asked about him Ginny kicked me in the shin...left a bit of a mark too. I'll ask her about him when she comes back up, she's gone down to get a glass of milk right now. Oh, I am prattling on a bit, aren't I? I really shouldn't, I'm using Ginny's ink after all... I want to thank you so much for the lovely blanket you and Ginny made for me, it really is beautiful. It worked perfectly too, Ginny couldn't pry it off the bed at all! I have to confess I was rather surprised, but also truly moved...I really will never forget this, Hermione.  
  
I hope Nevermore didn't startle your parents; I imagine they must be used to owls by now, but some people seem frightened of ravens for some reason. They really shouldn't, you know...he really is a sweet little bird (well, not so little, I suppose).  
  
Anyway, everyone here misses you, myself included...oh, Ginny's back up, she says hi, we'll see you in a few days then.  
  
Once again, Hermione, thank you so very much,  
  
Happy Christmas,  
  
Your friend,  
  
Luna  
  
Hermione smiled as she slowly rolled the parchment back up. She'd noticed Luna's admission about not looking forward to a lonely holiday, something she doubted she'd never have admitted it if hadn't been heartfelt.  
  
I really have to thank Ron for inviting her, she thought. 


	14. Luna's Year, part XIV

Harry emerged into the main hallway, find it strangely bare now that the decorations had vanished overnight; even the large fir tree, which had graced the main entrance for the last few weeks, had disappeared; the house elves had obviously been busy.  
  
He strolled along in rather high spirits, having just come off one of the most pleasant Christmas holidays in memory; he loved the Burrow, the house just radiated warmth, and the Weasleys were his family in spirit, if not in body. The highlight of his holidays had been Luna's sudden and poignant rendering of Silent Night, when they'd all gathered around the hearth on Christmas Eve after supper. Luna's dreamy voice had lent itself astonishingly well to singing in acapella, having moved Ginny and Mrs. Weasley to tears. Even Harry, not normally one to be emotionally stirred by song, had felt a lump in his throat. Though the words were unchanged from the traditional verses, there was something almost haunting about Luna's rendition, as though the song held a special significance to her...  
  
And yet, despite all the merriment of the last few days, the discussion about Tonks was still troubling him; try as he might, he couldn't quite put it out of his mind.  
  
He made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast, noting it was mostly empty at this early hour, though Hermione was already busily reading the Daily Prophet at the Gryffindor table. Harry went down and filled his plate at the High Table and made his way back to take a seat opposite her.  
  
"Morning," he said at the same instant realizing he'd forgotten to bring a pitcher of milk. He glanced into Hermione's; sure enough, it held its usual orange juice.  
  
"Hi Harry," said Hermione, glancing up from her paper and smiling at him. "Sleep well?"  
  
"Pretty well, I guess," he replied. "Can I borrow some of your orange juice?"  
  
"Sure, Harry, help yourself," Hermione said. "You can keep it too, I don't want it back."  
  
"Thanks," chuckled Harry, realizing his words had lent themselves to a peculiar mental image of him replenishing the pitcher in unconventional fashion. "Listen, I've been meaning to talk to you - "  
  
Hermione dropped her paper to the table and gave him her undivided attention. "You're talking about Tonks, right?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," said Harry, "How'd you know?"  
  
"Ginny told me all about it last night. Don't worry," she said, seeing his reaction, "No one overheard. But...I'm really worried too, Harry."  
  
He nodded. "It keeps bugging me...I've been thinking a lot about that over the holidays...I keep wondering if we somehow blew her cover..."  
  
"Well, I can't really see how though, Harry," said Hermione, though she still exhibited a worried countenance. "When she morphed back into herself there wasn't anyone else there except us...right?"  
  
Harry had already considered that, though it alleviated his discomfort but little. He was absent-mindedly buttering his toast when a thought occurred to him.  
  
"We neve really searched the rest of that house, did we? What if..."  
  
"...there was someone we missed," finished Hermione. "I thought of that too, Harry, but if there was, wouldn't they have come to help the others?"  
  
Harry sighed, taking a bite from his toast before realising it was completely devoid of jam.  
  
"I don't know, Hermione," he said heavily once he'd swallowed the rather plain tasting morsel, "I don't know what to think anymore. I keep telling myself that Tonks wouldn't have changed back if she knew someone was watching, but still..."  
  
Hermione looked at him with concern. She seemed to be contemplating something...  
  
"What?" Harry said, seeing her glance at him repeatedly.  
  
"Well, it's just a thought but..." she said slowly, "You know, I was wondering if that book that Malfoy has might be able to tell us something."  
  
Harry blinked. He'd completely forgotten about Malfoy. "Yeah!" he said, slapping the table with his hand. "I'll give my right eye there's something in there worth getting our hands on!"  
  
"Harry, don't go off half cocked, now," she cautioned. "Remember what Professor Dumbledore said, we don't want Malfoy to know we're keeping an eye on him."  
  
"I know!" replied Harry, more harshly than he'd intended, his sharp irritation quickly subsiding at the sight of her pained expression. He sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Hermione...it's just that, well, I hate to think that we're sitting around doing nothing, especially if Malfoy might be involved..."  
  
"I know," said Hermione. "But we have to be careful. I mean even if we managed to get the book somehow he'd notice it was missing, wouldn't he?"  
  
Harry thought carefully. "Couldn't we replace it with another book that looks just like it?" He suggested. "I mean Ron's had a good look at it twice now, maybe he can pick one from the library..."  
  
"He barely saw runes on the cover, Harry," said Hermione carefully. "We don't really know what they look like or what they mean...and besides, we still don't know what's inside, do we? The moment Malfoy would open the copy he'd be sure to notice there's nothing in there."  
  
Harry grimaced. There had to be something they could do...  
  
Hermione seemed to sense his frustration. "Well," she said hesitatingly, "There might be a way..."  
  
Harry looked up, a hopeful glint in his eyes. Hermione was one to come up with the most brilliant plans, after all.  
  
"What?" he asked expectantly, his toast all but forgotten now.  
  
"Well, it's just an idea, but...the disillusionment charm you taught at the DA class last month," she said, "It just may come in handy for a plan I had in mind."  
  
Harry grinned. "Spill it!"  
  
"Well, hang on," she said cautiously, "There's a couple of potential hiccups that I haven't worked out yet, and if we - oh fine, stop hopping up and down like that, here: we can use that charm and your invisibility cloak to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room, and if we're really careful, we could get a look at the book, copy down what we find, and leave it there."  
  
"Hermione, that's a great idea!" exclaimed Harry. "I'll do it tonight!"  
  
"Just a second," she said, quickly, "First we'll have to get the Slytherin password...but that shouldn't be much of a problem, all we'd have to do is hide nearby and wait for someone to go through."  
  
"Uh, Hermione," said Harry uncertainly. "You keep saying 'we'; I can do this myself, I'd feel better if you didn't get involved. If anything happened - "  
  
"Oh, Harry, don't be silly," said Hermione, waving her hand dismissively. "The other problem - "  
  
"I'm serious," Harry interrupted. "I don't want to do something stupid like I did back at the Shack..."  
  
His shoulders sagged as he looked at her, "I really should've listened to you...if I did then we could've avoided all that..."  
  
"Harry," said Hermione said, leaning forward, concern reflecting from her eyes, "Don't think like that. It's so easy to look at things in hindsight. You could just as easily have been right, you know. And besides, to be honest, I'm just as curious about that book as you are."  
  
"Well...okay," said Harry after several moments consideration, "So...what's this 'hiccup' you talked about"?  
  
"Well, I'm sure he's not going to leave that book just lying around, Harry," said Hermione, lowering her voice. "He's likely got it locked away somewhere."  
  
"Well, that's fine," said Harry. "You've got your lock-breaker charm, don't you?"  
  
Hermione ogled him, rapping him lightly on the head with her knuckles. "Harry, hello," she said jokingly, "I have to pronounce the charm, remember? That could be tricky if there are people around!"  
  
She has a point, he thought. "Well, let's just cross that bridge when we get to it. We can't anticipate everything anyway," he added quickly, seeing Hermione's dubious expression. He took a gulp of orange juice.  
  
"You know, in a way though, I'm hoping we don't find anything..." he mused.  
  
Hermione stared at him. "Harry?"  
  
"Well...if we do," he said, "And if something's happened to Tonks..."  
  
"Don't blame yourself," said Hermione firmly. "The book might not have anything to do with her disappearance for all we know, and besides that, Tonks might be just fine, like Mr. Weasley said..."  
  
Though her words were consoling, her worried gaze told Harry she shared his apprehension.  
  
He took another bite from his now cold toast.  
  
Blast it, he thought, no jam again!  
  
* * *  
  
Harry was making his way up the staircase to the library in the hopes of checking out some books on ancient runes. He'd determined to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room that night, which only gave him a few hours to read up on the subject.  
  
He strolled down the corridor he caught sight of Luna perched up on the half-wall that ran intermittently down the corridor in between the large flower pots, feet dangling, wand tucked away in its traditional spot behind her left ear.  
  
All this was not unusual, as it had long been one of Luna's favourite reading places during wintertime. However, the presence of the Grey Lady sitting alongside her, seemingly engrossed in reading the latest issue of The Quibbler spread open across their laps, was a most peculiar sight. Luna also had one of Hermione's S.P.E.W. badges clipped to her Ravenclaw tie, he noted.  
  
"Hi Luna," smiled Harry as he passed by, Luna waving happily back at him from her perch as he entered the library.  
  
Harry nearly bumped into Pansy Parkinson on her way out. "Oh, s'cuse me," he muttered instinctively, quickly regretting having done so at the sight of her nasty scowl.  
  
He made for the row of subject matters near Madam Pince's counter, squeezing around a young Hufflepuff who was busily searching through the 'W's. Opening the first drawer in the 'R's, Harry pulled it out to the end and started flipping through the cards, finally coming to one promisingly labelled 'Runes'. He pulled it out, noting the ten books listed.  
  
He grabbed a quill from the top of the cabinet, writing the titles down on one of the notepads provided. As he went to return the card back in its drawer however, he noticed a second card, entitled 'Runes - continued'. He pulled it out. Another ten books! He thought.  
  
He glanced back to the drawer, noting a third card in the Runes subject heading. His heart sank. He quickly flipped back, counting a total of eight cards, totalling nearly eighty seventy books in all.  
  
I can't do this! he thought. Not even Hermione could read all this stuff in an afternoon...  
  
He sighed, putting the cards back in their place and closing the drawer. Maybe he could bring along a parchment that night and draw the runes, he could research it at his leisure then...  
  
He emerged back into the hallway, glancing up to see Luna and the Grey Lady still perched up on the half-wall, contentedly perusing through The Quibbler, which, he noticed, was upside down once more.  
  
He'd proceeded about halfway down the hall when a thought occurred to him. He kicked himself for not thinking of it sooner. He turned around and strolled back to where the Ravenclaw was sitting. "Um...hi Luna," he said as he approached cautiously, glancing nervously at the Grey Lady. For some strange reason he couldn't quite put his finger on, he always became uneasy around the Ravenclaw House ghost. Which was strange in itself, as he'd never heard her utter so much as a word, nor had she never been mean or unpleasant to him. She even seemed to be on very good terms with Sir Nick.  
  
And yet, he was still rather uncomfortable as she gazed at him silently; her misty, translucent eyes echoing some ancient, horrible tragedy in a past life...something about her just gave Harry the willies.  
  
"Hello, Harry," said Luna dreamily. "That was rather quick, were you looking for someone?"  
  
"Well, I wasn't before," he answered. "But I guess I am now. I need to, um, talk to you about something," he said, eyeing the Grey Lady who continued to gaze at him expressionlessly.  
  
"All right," said Luna serenely, handing over The Quibbler to her ghostly companion, then simply proceeded to stare at him with her large silvery eyes.  
  
"Um," muttered Harry hesitantly, "It's kind of...this really isn't the best place..."  
  
"Well, all right, then," said Luna, slipping daintily to the floor. She glanced back up at the Ravenclaw ghost. "I have to go...you can keep it, if you like," she said, indicating the magazine.  
  
The silvery apparition smiled quietly at her and floated off down the corridor, Quibbler in hand. Luna turned back to Harry, staring at him expectantly.  
  
"She er...she reads The Quibbler?" he asked.  
  
"Certainly," said Luna, as though the question were preposterous."Even ghosts like to keep up with the latest events, you know. Actually, there's a very interesting story in this month's issue about Norwegian Pigmy Yetis. Did you know they're not herbivores after all? I suppose it was a rather nasty way for the naturalists to find that out though. Anyway," she said, her large eyes fixed upon him, "You wanted to talk about something, Harry?"  
  
"Yeah, let's get out of the stream of traffic here," said Harry, eyeing the students coming to and fro near the library. He led her to a deserted classroom further down the hall, closing the door behind him.  
  
He turned back to Luna, who was staring at him, her head tilted slightly, hands clasped together behind her back.  
  
"Luna, you're pretty good with runes, aren't you?" he asked.  
  
She smiled dreamily. "I think so," she said. "There's a rune puzzle in every issue of The Quibbler, you know. I've been doing them for years. They're really not that difficult once you get the hang of them," she looked intently into his eyes. "Why, are you having problems with an assignment? I'd be happy to help."  
  
Harry chuckled. "No, no, it's not an assignment," he said. He considered her for a moment.  
  
"Luna, can you keep a secret?" and immediately regretted asking the question. If there was someone he could trust, that person was standing right before him.  
  
Her expression became serious. She stared at him intently for several moments, then, quite unexpectedly closed her eyes.  
  
"Um...Luna?" Harry asked after a period of silence had passed.  
  
A few moments later her large eyes popped open. "Okay," she said airily, "I've promised I won't tell."  
  
Harry briefly considered asking her what that little ritual was about but thought better of it.  
  
"Okay, we've come up with a plan," he said conspirationally. "We're going to sneak into the Slytherin Common Room tonight and get a look at that book Malfoy keeps. There are runes on the cover according to Ron...if I draw you a picture of them, can you help us figure them out?"  
  
"Oh no, of course not," said Luna, to Harry's astonishment. "I'll just come with you. I've never seen the Slytherin Common Room, actually."  
  
Harry laughed inwardly. He should have known better, he thought to himself. "Luna," he said, "I don't want you to get in trouble, if we get caught - "  
  
"You're worried about your friend Tonks, aren't you?" she asked suddenly. "That's what this is all about, isn't it?"  
  
Harry blinked. Was he such an open book? "Er...well...yeah, actually," he said. "If anything's happened to her, it's all because I went charging into the Shack for no reason...it might all be my fault," he added dispiritedly.  
  
Luna moved closer, her large silver eyes staring up into his. "This is more than that, I think," she said softly, tilting her head slightly to one side. "You still blame yourself for what happened to your Godfather, don't you? You're afraid it might happen again..." Harry reeled. How on Earth could she know that, he thought. His feelings of self-recrimination had barely abated since the summer, only hidden under the surface, while he'd silently tortured himself for having fallen into Voldemort's trap, the consequences of which he reminded himself every day...yet he had never spoken about such things to anyone before...  
  
He stared back at her, flabbergasted into speechlessness...his mouth kept opening and closing silently, no words daring to form...  
  
She continued to stare at him, her silvery eyes still and serene, reflecting a sadness he himself felt.  
  
"You won't ever forget, Harry," she said quietly, "But you really should forgive..."  
  
"Luna..." he choked, at a loss for words. They both stared at each other for a few moments, Luna smiling slightly before slowly stepping around him and walking to the door. She turned back to him before leaving. "I'll meet you outside Gryffindor Tower tonight, Harry," she said quietly, pausing to look at him for a moment before disappearing, gently closing the door behind her.  
  
Harry staggered over to a chair and sat down heavily, burying his face in his hands...  
  
* * *  
  
"G'nite, Seamus," said Harry, watching him climb up the stairs to the boys' dormitory. He waited until he was sure Seamus was out of earshot before turning to Ron, who was looking to capture his queen. "Ready?"  
  
"Now?" asked Ron, looking at the chessboard. "I've got mate in two, can't we just - "  
  
"Come on, Ron," admonished Hermione, setting her book down and rising from the plush chair near the hearth, "Let's get going before somebody comes back."  
  
"Crap," said Ron, looking at Harry's exposed queen. "All right, let me just - " he reached down under the sofa and pulled out Harry's invisibility cloak.  
  
"Okay, gather round," he said, as Harry and Hermione huddled around him. He pulled the cloak over top of them.  
  
"Uh...problem," said Harry, looking down at his feet. The cloak was a good six inches off the ground.  
  
"Eh, we'll have to crouch," said Ron.  
  
They did, though it quickly became apparent as they shuffled awkwardly through the short tunnel leading to the Fat Lady's portrait that it was going to be quite a challenge to manage a trek in such circumstances.  
  
Ron pushed open the portrait and quickly discovered he couldn't extend his foot far enough to reach the floor over the sill due to the tightness of the cloak.  
  
"Arrghh!" he said as Harry pushed on him from behind. "Not so fast! I can't - "  
  
He quickly lost his balance and fell forward, dragging his companions along behind him, all three of them tumbling slowly and awkwardly to the floor beneath the Fat Lady's open portrait.  
  
"Eek!"  
  
"OW!"  
  
Harry heard a shriek of mirth erupt from somewhere ahead of him, twisting his head up to see Luna standing just a few feet away, one hand holding her tummy and another pointing at them.  
  
"Luna!" whispered Hermione loudly, "We're supposed to be sneaking!"  
  
Luna quickly clasped her mouth with both hands, though her watery eyes and trembling shoulders made it evident it was all she could manage to contain her laughter.  
  
"Ron!" said Hermione, "Will you - get off - "  
  
"Look...Ron...get..." said Harry as he finally managed to pull the cloak off them, freeing himself. "This isn't going to work," he said, sitting up and scratching his head as he gazed at the cloak. "I think we've outgrown it."  
  
"No kidding," said Ron, picking himself up and shooting Luna an irritated glance, "I could hardly move in there!"  
  
"Okay, look," said Hermione, drawing her wand, "I'll disillusion Luna and me, you two can get under the cloak...the two of you alone should fit." She walked over to the still mirthful Luna.  
  
"Occulo praestigiae," she said, lightly tapping Luna on the head, watching with satisfaction as the Ravenclaw quickly take on the colours of the wall behind her. She then did the same trick on herself, until all Harry could see was a very faint outline of the two of them, which would be completely unnoticeable if he hadn't been aware of their presence.  
  
He pushed himself up, taking hold of the cloak and drawing it over Ron and himself. He glanced at his feet; with only two of them in the cloak, their feet were adequately concealed.  
  
"Okay, let's go," he whispered.  
  
They made their way down the main hall, Harry stopping at the archway to see if there was anyone around. Invisible they might be, but he felt it bestr not to take any unnecessary chances.  
  
Just at that moment he felt someone bump heavily into him from behind, almost making him lose his balance. "Sorry!" he heard Hermione whisper, "It's hard to know where you are!"  
  
"Take my hand," he heard Luna's voice from behind him. "I can see them quite well," she said, still sounding rather cheerful after their little accident earlier.  
  
The hall was devoid of life. "Okay, let's go," said Harry, as he and Ron shuffled along quietly.  
  
"How come she can see us?" whispered Ron next to him as they made their way across the long hall.  
  
"Um...I'll explain later," said Harry. He didn't want to risk being overheard; the slightest noises carried well in the large empty hall. It seemed to him that every step they took generated an unnerving amount of noise.  
  
They managed to reach the Slytherin Tower without being discovered. The bare patch of wall which concealed the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room was unmarked in any way, and it was only through recollection of his second year's infiltration that Harry knew its approximate location.  
  
"I think it was here," he said, running his hand along the sandstone wall, trying to detect the tiny break in the surface that would identify the location of the secret door. He turned to Ron. "Okay, what was the password again?"  
  
Ron stared at the wall and blinked. "Blimey," he said.  
  
"No..." said Harry, "Don't tell me you forgot..."  
  
"Well it was hours ago!" protested Ron. He'd been hiding out in the shadows nearby late that afternoon, concealed by a disillusionment charm, waiting for someone to come by so he could obtain the Slytherin password...and now he'd gone and forgotten it.  
  
"Oh, honestly, it was 'Mortalis Aspis'," said Hermione from behind them. "Can't you two remember anything??"  
  
At that the wall suddenly slid open to reveal the short, narrow corridor that led to the Slytherin Common Room. Harry turned around and put his finger to his lips, hoping that Luna, at least, could see him. He and Ron climbed over the slight step and shuffled along quietly, emerging into the sombre room beyond. A fire was crackling near two large black divans, though the place appeared thankfully deserted.  
  
"Okay, Ron,", said Harry, "You and Luna wait here. Keep an eye out in case anyone comes through that door. Hermione and I will go up and find that book."  
  
Ron got out from under the cloak.  
  
"Oh, there you are," said Hermione, tapping him on the head with her wand. "Occulo praestigiae," she said, Ron quickly assuming the colouration of his surroundings. She then tapped her own head and rematerialised, before joining Harry under the cloak.  
  
"Hopefully we won't be too long," said Harry, just before he and Hermione quietly made their way up the spiral staircase.  
  
Ron listened to them shuffle off; he wondered where Luna might have drifted off to...being disillusioned, she was no more visible than he was, though she, apparently, could see him without difficulty. The thought unnerved him.  
  
He walked over to the fireplace, staring up at the ornate green chandeliers hanging overhead.  
  
"It's nice, isn't it?" he heard Luna whisper form somewhere near him. "It's prettier than I'd imagined it to be."  
  
Ron looked around, trying to pinpoint her location. She sounded very close by. "Err...what's that?" he said.  
  
"This room," she said quietly, "I've never seen it before."  
  
"Oh...yeah, I suppose," he said. Where is she, he thought furiously. She didn't seem to be moving, otherwise he might be able to pick up traces of her outline. It was most disconcerting to hear her disembodied voice floating around him; the only comfort he could draw on was that he couldn't see if she was staring at him.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry glanced around. No one stirred. He emerged quietly into the sixth floor Slytherin boys' dormitory. The room was arranged much as his own, with five beds arranged around the circular room, though here they all pointed towards the centre of the tower as opposed to hugging the walls as they did in his own dormitory.  
  
Malfoy and the others were sound asleep, a fact he noted with intense relief. He motioned Hermione to a large trunk at the foot of Malfoy's bed.  
  
"Must be in there," he whispered very quietly. He bent down and tried raising the lid, though it remained firmly shut. He looked to Hermione. "Ready?" he whispered.  
  
She nodded and crouched down next to him, pointing the tip of her wand at the lock. "Alohomora," she whispered, a soft reddish glow emanating briefly before dissipating. The lock snapped open with an alarmingly loud click.  
  
"Hmph," muttered Malfoy, tossing in his bed.  
  
Harry held his breath. This wasn't the time to get caught. His anxiety subsided slightly as he saw Malfoy roll over onto his stomach and lay still.  
  
He crouched down beside Hermione, grasping both sides of the lid. He lifted.  
  
He was immediately greeted by a loud piercing shriek that reverberated throughout the small circular room, echoing in his ears. Hermione let out an involuntary "eek!" as Harry slammed the lid shut. The shrieking came to an abrupt stop.  
  
"Wha - " Malfoy jerked awake and sat up quickly, his blonde hair dishevelled. He looked around wildly.  
  
"What's - who's there?!" he said, as Crabbe and Goyle and two other Slytherins Harry couldn't recognize emerged from their slumber, looking around in a daze.  
  
Harry and Hermione froze. They were concealed by the cloak, but it couldn't make them intangible...  
  
"What was that?" muttered Goyle, groggily pushing himself up on his elbows.  
  
"It sounded like the alarm," said Malfoy, looking at the trunk intently.  
  
Don't come here, Harry thought, see, the lid is closed...  
  
The other Slytherins were all curiously gazing at the chest, their eyes right where Harry and Hermione were currently crouched. Though Harry knew they were invisible to them, their concentrated stares right in his direction was extremely unsettling, and he remained quite still...the last thing he wanted to do now was to make some involuntary noise; even a slight shuffling of his robes could be disastrous. "I think you were having a nightmare," said Crabbe irritably, flopping back down on his pillow. "False alarm."  
  
"I wasn't!" insisted Malfoy.  
  
"Don't yell out so loud next time," Goyle shot back wearily, rolling over onto his side.  
  
"I - " stammered Malfoy angrily. He gazed at the chest. He threw his blankets off and crawled forward in his bed until he was staring down at the large trunk. Harry leaned back as much as he dared without losing his balance, grabbing the sides of the chest for balance; Malfoy's head was just inches away from his.  
  
The Slytherin prefect reached down with one hand, grabbed the front handle and yanked up, but Harry's desperately tight grip on the lid held and it didn't move. Seemingly satisfied, Malfoy crawled back into bed and drew his sheets up. Harry dared himself to breathe again. Hermione had remained impossibly still during the entire time, her brown eyes wide with trepidation.  
  
They waited several minutes until they were sure the Slytherins were comfortably ensconced in their slumber. "What do we do now?" whispered Harry, at a loss. He didn't dare open the trunk up again.  
  
"It must be a spell," Hermione whispered back. "I might be able to cancel it...Finite Incantatum," she whispered softly, a small golden light emerging from her wand and covering the trunk before slowly dissipating.  
  
"Will that work?" whispered Harry, nervous about pushing his luck a second time...he seriously doubted Malfoy could be fooled again.  
  
Hermione looked at him, a sheepish expression on her face. "I hope so..."  
  
He held his breath as he grasped the handle again. He opened the lid just a crack. Nothing. So far so good, he thought.  
  
He opened it another inch. All remained quiet. He slowly opened it up the rest of the way, heaving a sigh of relief as the lid opened with only a slight creak.  
  
They peered inside the chest. It was difficult to see only by the moonlight streaming through the window, but they didn't dare illuminate their wands. Harry slowly felt his way around with one hand, rummaging through lots of loose parchments and wooly objects that felt like rolled-up socks. Finally his fingers drifted across a hard, leathery surface, slowly pulling it up through the rest of the debris.  
  
He held it up to the moonlight, just making out very faint symbols on the dark cover. He turned it to Hermione, who nodded silently. He slowly closed the chest, deciding to leave it unlocked for now; after they'd had a good look at it he'd bring it right back.  
  
* * *  
  
"What are they doing?" whispered Ron angrily. This was all taking much longer than he'd anticipated.  
  
" 'With time the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown'," whispered Luna softly from somewhere very near. "What?" said Ron, disconcerted and still trying to ascertain her location. He was beginning to wish she'd reappear...he'd take the endless staring any day in preference to this...  
  
He heard Luna softly humming 'Weasley is Our King', the melody seeming to float around him in circles. Why couldn't he see her moving around???  
  
He backed away, slowly making his way towards the staircase, intending to march up and see what was keeping Harry and Hermione, when he was startled by the sight of both of them throwing off the invisibility cloak right in front of him.  
  
"Ron? Luna?" whispered Harry, looking around. Ron tapped the top of his head with his wand and became visible, startling Harry and Hermione in turn.  
  
"Okay, here it is," said Harry, holding up the blackened book and making his way to the small study table in the far alcove. Luna had also reappeared in the meantime and had joining them, eyeing the book curiously.  
  
"Can you make this out?" asked Harry asked, turning the tome around so that Luna could see the runes right side up.  
  
She stared at the symbols intently for several long moments. "These are very old," she said softly, "Norse, I'd gather...no...Germanic, more likely. Well, either way, they're just two letters: G G," she said, looking back up at Harry.  
  
"G G...that's it?" mused Harry. No, it couldn't be, he thought, after several moments, looking to Ron and Hermione. "Do you think...'Godric Gryffindor'?"  
  
"What would Malfoy be doing with something like that??" asked Ron, sounding just as confused as Harry was.  
  
"It would make at least some sense if it was Salazar Slytherin's," said Hermione. "Let's see if there's anything written inside, Harry, it might provide better clues."  
  
Harry flipped the cover open, coming to the first page. But instead of cryptic handwriting or printed words, the entire first page seemed to be shimmering, as though a dense gray fog was swirling through it...not entirely unlike Dumbledore's pensieve, Harry thought, though he had the distinct feeling this was something rather different.  
  
"You know what that could be?" said Luna eagerly, as Harry lightly ran his fingers across the page. "No don't - "  
  
Poof!!  
  
Harry was immediately plunged into darkness, becoming suddenly aware of strange, dank smells permeating the heavy air surrounding him. He had the distinct feeling he was somehow outdoors; the humidity being quite palpable. He slowly looked up, seeing the quarter moon shining through a thick, spidery canopy of branches above. He turned around on the spot; there was no table, no book, no one, nothing except for a small circle of stones on the ground around his feet, and what appeared to be an overgrown path leading off into the darkness...  
  
This isn't even near Hogwarts, he realized; there were mists rising from a moor all around him, vines and roots intertwining with the branches of ancient, decaying trees, and in any event the temperature was all wrong. While it wasn't exactly warm, it was certainly a good deal warmer than at school, where Hogwarts was still covered in ice and snow...  
  
How do I get back? he thought, his mind racing. 


	15. Luna's Year, part XV

Harry took a few tentative steps down the overgrown path. He could detect the faint sounds of innumerable crickets in the moor all around him, accompanied by a low cacophony of frog croaking and myriad other nighttime sounds he sincerely hoped had a natural source. The place filled him with much unease, made all the worse by his not having a clue where he was. He stared at the trail meandering off into the darkness, having no idea where the path might lead, but there was nothing nearby that could possibly be of any help in his predicament. He drew his wand.  
  
"Lumos," he said. The darkness remained triumphant. He held his wand closer, speaking at it as though holding a microphone.  
  
"LUMOS!" he repeated, louder.  
  
The wand remained resolutely unlit. He held it up to the faint moonlight, inspecting it for damage, running his fingers along its wooden surface in search of cracks. Why won't it work? he wondered. His apprehension increased markedly; here he was, in the middle of nowhere, totally lost and with a nonfunctional wand.  
  
He heard a low 'poof!' sound behind him. He quickly spun around; wand held instinctively at the ready. He could just make out Hermione standing in the middle of the small circle of stones he'd just vacated. She was looking all around, evidently no more aware of her location as he was. He ran back to her.  
  
"Hermione!" he said, stunned that she'd repeated his mistake, "What are you doing? There's no way to get back!"  
  
"Well, I figured that, seeing as you weren't returning," she said. "But we weren't about to abandon you here, so...oh don't worry, I told Ron and Luna to take the book to Professor Dumbledore. Let's just wait here, I'm sure he'll know what to do."  
  
"Well...okay, I guess there's nothing much we can do anyhow," said Harry, "Hey, can you try your wand? Mine won't work for some reason."  
  
She looked at him in surprise as she drew her own wand from her robes. "You didn't break it, did you?" she asked.  
  
"Not that I can tell, see?" he said, holding it out.  
  
"Hmm," she said, looking over his wand. "It seems fine, doesn't it?"  
  
"I know," he said, "It's weird."  
  
"Lumos," said Hermione. They remained in darkness, the only illumination provided by the partial moonlight trickling through the branches high overhead. She shook her wand, as if throwing off cobwebs. "Come on," she said, "Accio twig!" The small branch she'd pointed her wand at remained firmly on the ground, unmoving.  
  
"This is really odd, Harry," she said. "It looks as though magic doesn't work here..."  
  
They were both startled by the sudden appearance of Ron and Luna in the small circle of stones. Hermione gasped.  
  
"Oh, great!" exclaimed Ron.  
  
"Honestly, Ronald," said Luna.  
  
"Me?!" Ron exclaimed incredulously, "You're the one - "  
  
Hermione stormed up to them. "What are you doing here?!?" she vociferated, hands on her head. "You were supposed to go get Professor Dumbledore!"  
  
"Yeah, well," said Ron darkly as he gestured towards Luna, "She came up with this bloody brilliant idea that only one of us should go, so we got to arguing on who should take the book and who should come here, and then - "  
  
"Okay, fine," Hermione sighed, putting her hands up. "I get the picture, let's just drop it, it makes no difference now anyway. We're trapped here, unless we can find some other way to get back."  
  
If the situation weren't so serious Harry might have laughed...just a minute ago, they'd all been safe and sound inside Hogwarts' thick walls; now, through a highly unlikely chain of events, they'd all ended up...  
  
"Where are we?" he asked. "Anyone have any idea?"  
  
They all peered about the clearing, hoping that a landmark somewhere in the darkness might provide some clue as to their whereabouts.  
  
"Well, we're south of Hogwarts," said Luna dreamily, pointing in the distance. "See, Ursa Major is lower in the sky than it should be at this time of night."  
  
Harry gazed into the night sky, only a few faint stars visible through the branches; he was only vaguely familiar with a small handful of constellations, astronomy not exactly being his strongest subject.  
  
"Blimey, the temperature told us that," snapped Ron, pulling his wand out.  
  
"Lumos," he said.  
  
"They don't work," said Harry and Hermione simultaneously. "What?" asked Ron, "Why not?"  
  
"We don't know," replied Hermione, stowing her wand away in her robes. "But we can't stay here...no one at Hogwarts knows we're gone now; we've got to find our own way out of here."  
  
"Lumos," uttered Luna. Harry was stunned to see himself suddenly casting a long, dark shadow on the ground. Ron and Hermione were both staring at Luna's illuminated wand in surprise.  
  
"Mine seems fine," she said serenely.  
  
Hermione looked closely at the brightly glowing wand. "Luna," she said slowly, "Didn't you say once it was an old wand? Just how old is it?"  
  
"I'm not entirely sure, actually," said Luna, "Mum said it was passed down to her from her Gran," she tilted her head slightly, gazing at her.  
  
"I wonder..." mused Hermione under her breath. She looked at Harry. "You said this one has two components, didn't you? That in itself is so odd...and it just happens to work where other wands don't..."  
  
She seemed to be mulling something over, everyone staring at her expectantly.  
  
"What?" asked Harry, as Ron came to stand with them, "You've got an idea, don't you?"  
  
Hermione looked at him. "Well, I'm not sure...remember when Peeves tried to steal it? How strange that was?"  
  
Harry picked up on her line of thinking. "You think it might have something to do with this place?" he asked.  
  
"Well look, Harry," she said, "None of our wands work here...except Luna's, and it does have those two components..." she glanced expectantly at Luna.  
  
"A dragon's heart string and a unicorn's hair," said Luna helpfully.  
  
"Exactly," said Hermione. "What if...someone needed a wand that worked in this place? And somehow got Peeves to try and steal it?"  
  
They all stared at Luna's glowing wand. "And here we are bringing it to them," said Ron.  
  
"Well, hold on," cautioned Hermione, "It might not have anything to do with this place at all...but still..." "Nox," said Luna, plunging them into darkness once more before stashing the wand away in her robes, rather than its customary place of safekeeping behind her ear.  
  
"Good idea," said Harry, grinning.  
  
Ron walked slowly around the small clearing. "There's just the one trail," he said, "Doesn't look like we have much choice, does it?"  
  
"Doesn't look like it," agreed Harry. "Well, let's get going, then. Everyone keep your eyes peeled for...well for anything."  
  
They started down the narrow trail that led from the clearing into the gloomy, mysterious bog.  
  
* * *  
  
They'd been walking for about half an hour by Harry's reckoning, occasionally stumbling over an overgrown root snaking across their path or getting hit in the face by the odd overhanging branch. Harry's anxiety increased the further they walked; while he knew there was nothing behind him that could help them, that small circle of stones represented their last tangible link to Hogwarts.  
  
They walked on into the gloominess, rarely speaking; Ron and Hermione seemed to be as uneasy as he was, though judging from Luna's strolling walk she seemed more affected by curiosity than anything else.  
  
The air around them seemed to be getting heavier, the light, vaporous mist rising from the bog on either side of the trail obscuring what already limited visibility they had. Though it wasn't exactly warm, the dankness and humidity combined to make it feel uncomfortably stifling, even though they were clad in just their indoor robes.  
  
Harry had just ducked under a branch when he thought he saw a faint greenish-yellow light some distance in the woods to his left. He stopped in his tracks, Ron bumping into him from behind.  
  
"What is it?" asked Ron, turning to look in the same direction.  
  
"I thought I saw a light," said Harry, catching sight of it again, "There! See it?" he pointed.  
  
"Yeah!" said Ron. "HELLLLOOO??" he yelled, putting his hands on either side of his mouth.  
  
Luna had walked by him and stopped. "It won't answer, you know." "Eh/ You know what that is?" Harry asked, staring at the slowly moving light in the distance. "IS ANYONE THERE?" he called out.  
  
"It's been following us for a while, actually," said Luna calmly. "It's pretty, isn't it? It won't help, though. Well, best to keep moving, Harry."  
  
He turned to her. "Why? If there's someone there - "  
  
"Come on, let's go check it out," said Ron, stepping eagerly off the path, his feet sinking slightly into the soft bog-like ground. "Blimey, this is almost a swamp - "  
  
"Ron, don't!" warned Hermione, grabbing hold of his arm. "You don't even know what it is, get back here!"  
  
"But - " protested Ron as Hermione dragged him back to the path. "Bloody hell, Hermione! There's somebody over there! They might be able to help - "  
  
"There's not," said Luna. "It's a Will-O-The-Wisp. It won't help."  
  
Ron turned to her. "It's a what?"  
  
"A Will-O-The-Wisp," repeated Hermione, staring at the distant, hovering light. "I thought they were just fairy tales...but..."  
  
Luna turned her silvery eyes on her. "Oh, they're quite real, you know," she said. "Mum warned me about them when I was little."  
  
"What are they? Are they...dangerous?" asked Ron, looking back apprehensively at the luminosity in the distance.  
  
"They're ancient spirits of the woods," said Luna. "They're rather nice to look at, actually, but they'll try to lead you astray, if they can. It's best to just ignore them, really."  
  
"Hey, look, there's another one," said Ron, pointing out a second flickering light that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, hovering near the first.  
  
Harry looked at the floating lights. They were strangely bewitching, often changing hue between green and yellow and gold, giving off an aura that he found difficult to ignore.  
  
"Well," he said finally, forcing himself to turn away, "If there was somebody there they would've answered by now anyway. Let's get going."  
  
They resumed their walk down the trail. Harry kept glancing over to the flickering lights which kept pace with them, at times seeming to come closer before pulling back, their movements appearing almost playful in nature. He could see how someone would want to try and approach them...  
  
"Ever come across those things before?" asked Harry as they carefully trod down the overgrown path, further into the moor.  
  
"Yes," said Luna conversationally. "There's a lovely old forest near home, I often go for walks there during summer...if you go far enough in at night, you can still see them sometimes."  
  
"What would happen," asked Ron from behind them, "If somebody tried to followed them?"  
  
"Oh...well...I got lost, actually," said Luna. "Mum found me a two days later; she was rather upset, really. But I saw so many wonderful things - "  
  
"Blimey, isn't there anything you don't like?" asked Ron, "I mean seriously..."  
  
"Yes," replied Luna, strolling along serenely, "I'm not very fond of Bollywoggles, actually; they're awfully nasty little creatures."  
  
Harry wondered what a Bollywoggle could be. He decided he wouldn't want to meet one, if Luna, of all people, was wary of them.  
  
They continued walking along the trail for some time, Harry always keeping an eye on the floating lights that echoed their path, apparently content with simply trying to lure them into the forest. He wondered what kind of creatures they might be, up close.  
  
A faint reddish glow through the thickets up ahead caused Harry to slow his pace.  
  
"Is that a fire?" he asked, peering through the thick underbrush.  
  
"Maybe it's a campfire," said Ron hopefully. "Maybe somebody can finally tell us where we are."  
  
Harry considered the possibility. Even if it was a campfire, though, there was no telling if it was made by friend or foe.  
  
"Let's keep quiet, at least until we can see who it is," Harry cautioned, determined to avoid making another rash move that would cause them even more problems. "Let's go."  
  
They walked slowly along the path, the light getting brighter through the branches. As they rounded a curve in the path, they saw the unobstructed source of the flames clearly for the first time. Harry stopped in his tracks. "What's - " "It - it can't be," whispered Hermione.  
  
"It is!" said Luna, her large eyes popping excitedly.  
  
There, standing motionless in the trail a short distance ahead, was a large, vaguely humanoid form. It seemed to be composed of an agglomeration of intense flame and light, though somehow it didn't appear to be igniting the woods around it.  
  
"What is that?" asked Ron in awe from behind Harry.  
  
"It's a Heliopath!" said Luna energetically.  
  
"Blimey!" exclaimed Ron, edging beside Harry to get a better look. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Goodness," said Hermione in little more than an awed whisper, "They actually...I mean..."  
  
"Yeah," agreed Ron.  
  
Harry looked at them. "What do we do?" he asked. "I mean, they're under Ministry control, aren't they?"  
  
"Well," said Luna, "They were under Cornelius Fudge's control once, according to The Quibbler, but now..."  
  
Harry turned back to the Heliopath on the trail. "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out. Not much use turning back now, anyway..."  
  
He cautiously approached the fiery figure.  
  
"Harry, be careful!" said Hermione, as Luna followed him closely, wand at the ready.  
  
As he neared the glowing form, Harry noted with relief that it didn't seem to react to his approach. He proceeded cautiously until he was within arm's reach of it, determined not to get any closer. Despite its fiery composition, it didn't feel as though it was generating any heat, although it was throwing off a considerable amount of light, comparable to a bonfire's.  
  
"Um...Hello, Mr. Heliopath," said Harry hesitantly.  
  
"Daddy's going to love this," whispered Luna next to him, looking up at the figure in awe.  
  
Harry couldn't even tell if the thing was looking at him. While it had a shape vaguely similar to a human's, he could see no discernable features such as eyes, ears, or fingers for that matter...the thing looked like a barely coherent cluster of flames. He carefully waved his hand in front of its 'face', getting no more reaction than his greeting. An idea occurred to him.  
  
"Err...I am Cornelius Fudge," he said, drawing himself up to his full height, trying to look authoritative. "Remind me again, what it is you do here."  
  
The thing remained seemingly unmoved. Harry frowned. "It don't think it knows we're here," he said.  
  
Luna stood on her tiptoes. "Pretend you're Remus Lupin," she whispered in his ear.  
  
"Yeah!" agreed Harry. "Heliopath, I am Remus Lupin, Minister of Magic. What do you do here?"  
  
"Either it doesn't know we're here, or you're not fooling it, Harry," said Hermione, edging closer and eyeing the entity with a mixture of awe and nervousness.  
  
Luna abruptly moved past it on the path.  
  
"Luna!" said Harry. "What are you doing?!"  
  
She was standing directly behind it now. "Maybe it's facing this way," she said serenely, looking up at its 'head'.  
  
Oh, maybe, thought Harry. With such a vague shape to it, it was impossible to tell if he was looking at its 'front' or not. He circled around to join Luna.  
  
"Hello, Heliopath," he said. "I am Remus Lupin, Minister of Magic...Hello?"  
  
"Touch it, see what happens," suggested Ron.  
  
"Are you crazy?" retorted Harry, "You touch it!"  
  
"Well, maybe we can poke it with a stick or something," Ron said.  
  
"Look," said Hermione irritably, "No one's going to touch it, or poke it, or anything else! We have no idea how it would react, and besides, it seems to be ignoring us at the moment. We should just keep going."  
  
Harry sighed. "Yeah, I suppose," he said. Well, at least it's not hostile, he thought with some relief.  
  
"I wish I had a camera," said Luna dreamily as they walked on, "A lot of people laughed at Daddy when he published that article..." They'd continued down the path for only a short distance when it opened up into a large clearing, the ground here covered in large, perfectly interlocking stone slabs, the mist that permeated the moor behind them conspicuously absent. Harry was amazed at the sight of at least two dozen Heliopaths positioned in a circle around the large clearing, all as immobile as the first.  
  
What most drew Harry's attention, however, was a towering wall of intense green flame rising from the centre of the clearing, forming a circular shroud and obscuring whatever might lie inside from view. The flames were deathly quiet. In fact, there were no sounds at all; the crickets and other natural inhabitants of the moor were noticeably muted here.  
  
"Bloody hell," said Ron, awestruck. "What is that?"  
  
"I have no idea," said Hermione softly, looking rather apprehensive.  
  
Harry looked up; the stars were plainly visible here, with no branches hanging overhead to obscure them. Or the intense circle of green flames, for that matter, he thought. "I wonder if planes can see this thing at night?" he wondered aloud.  
  
"It's probably unplottable, Harry," said Hermione, drawing alongside him. "I doubt any Muggle could see any part of this."  
  
"What is it, though?" repeated Ron, moving closer. "This isn't like anything I've ever heard about."  
  
"I think those flames are guarding something in the centre," ventured Hermione ventured, "It...it couldn't be Voldemort though..."  
  
"No, we'd have heard for sure," agreed Harry.  
  
Luna had crouched down and was gazing at the stones arranged all around the centre.  
  
"What is it?" asked Hermione, crouching down next to her, running her fingers across the innocuous-looking stones.  
  
"There are runes here, but they're hidden..." said Luna. She pointed her wand downwards.  
  
"Finite Incantatum," she said, a soft white glow blanketing the stones they were crouched over, and for a few moments they could see softly glowing green symbols, clearly runic in appearance, though they quickly faded back into obscurity.  
  
"This is powerful magic, Harry," said Hermione, looking up at him. "It won't dispel, it just interrupts it for a few seconds." "Someone went to a lot of trouble to create all this," said Ron. It didn't surprise Harry; the magic required to negate wands was beyond comprehension...  
  
Luna was slowly tracing her fingers along the stones, presumably reading the inscriptions, Harry thought.  
  
"These are warnings, I think," she said quietly. "Not to break the seal..."  
  
Harry looked back up at the flames...the seal to what?  
  
"The flames...would slay any who pass through," Luna continued solemnly. "Well, that's what it translates to...this is a very old form of runic alphabet, these would never appear in The Quibbler..."  
  
"How do you know what it says?" asked Ron, bending down next to her, as if getting closer to them would help him see the invisible symbols.  
  
"This is really old magic," said Luna. "Mum used to work with this sort of thing, you know..."  
  
"They don't teach this in school...or anywhere, for that matter," whispered Hermione, almost to herself, slowly shaking her head.  
  
"There are others over here," said Luna, shifting over to another part of the stones, closer to the flames. "They go all around," she said, standing up and slowly walking around the circle, making her way back to the trio, seemingly lost in thought.  
  
Finally she raised her head and looked up at the flames. "I think this is a prison," she said.  
  
"A prison?" asked Harry, coming to stand next to her. "Out here, in the middle of nowhere? Why not Azkaban?"  
  
Luna turned to look at him. "I don't imagine Azkaban wouldn't be able to hold...oh," she said softly, "Those initials on that book," she said, "They didn't stand for Godric Gryffindor, Harry...they stand for Gustavus Grindelwald."  
  
Hermione moved closer, eyes wide with alarm. "Grindelwald!" she exclaimed. "Luna, are you absolutely sure?"  
  
Luna turned her silvery eyes on her and nodded.  
  
"Blimey," said Ron, a worried look on his face. "I thought he was...well, isn't he dead?"  
  
"It's possible," said Hermione, grabbing hold of Harry's arm. "Everything we've ever read about him...remember what's one of the things Dumbledore was most famous for?"  
  
"Yeah, his defeat of Grindelwald," said Harry, recalling quite clearly. "Wasn't it?"  
  
Hermione shook her head. "His defeat of Grindelwald, Harry. It never mentioned anything about Grindelwald's death."  
  
Harry turned to look at the flickering green flames with renewed foreboding. He could certainly conceive Dumbledore avoiding the Killing Curse, even in a duel with the most dangerous of Dark wizards; was it possible that same sorcerer now lay just on the other side of that shimmering wall of flame? He subconsciously drew back a half step from it.  
  
"Oh, there's another trail leading in the opposite direction, by the way," said Luna.  
  
"Why would Malfoy have a portkey to this place?" asked Ron. "I don't get it."  
  
Hermione turned on him. "We saw him in the library with that book, remember?" she said. "I'll wager he was looking for something in there, something that would have something to do with this," she waved her hand at the flames, "But if it really is ancient magic - "  
  
"He wouldn't find anything," concluded Harry, "At least not without looking through the restricted section..."  
  
"At the very least," Hermione nodded.  
  
"That's why he was sneaking into the library at night!" said Ron. "He's trying to dispel the flames!"  
  
"I don't think it would be him, specifically," said Hermione, "We heard voices, remember? He might be trying to get information for someone else."  
  
"Harry?"  
  
Harry spun around, looking for the source of the strangely familiar voice. A figure was approaching them from the direction of the lone Heliopath.  
  
"Tonks!" exclaimed Harry as he ran up to her, grinning. "Am I ever glad to see you! I thought you were in trouble! We heard you hadn't reported in and all - "  
  
"Oh, that," she said dismissively, "Well, you can't really keep a schedule in this job, Harry, don't worry about it." She looked at him strangely, "What are you doing here though? This is dangerous stuff, Harry, you really shouldn't be here."  
  
"Yeah, well," he said sheepishly, "It was kind of by accident; we were just looking at this strange book Malfoy has, and - "  
  
Tonks held up her hand. "You took Malfoy's portkey?"  
  
Harry saw Luna whispering to Hermione out of the corner of his eye, to which the Gryffindor was nodding solemnly. "Yeah, well, Mr. Weasley and the others were worried about you, and I thought maybe there might be some clues in that book, so we, er, snuck into the Slytherin Common Room and took it...well tried to take it. But we had no idea it was a portkey!"  
  
Tonks stared at him seriously. "Does anybody know you're here?"  
  
"No, that's the problem," said Harry, "We don't know how to get back, either; what is this place, anyway?"  
  
"It's...well, maybe it's best you didn't know, Harry," she said. She nodded at the others behind him. "Hi, Ron, Hermione," she said, eyeing Luna curiously. "Who's your friend? That's she same girl that was with you at the Shack, wasn't it?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, that's Luna Lov- "  
  
"I'm Padma Patil," interrupted Luna, maintaining a discreet distance.  
  
Harry turned to her. "Huh?"  
  
She was gazing at him blankly.  
  
"Did you hear, Bellatrix?" called out Tonks over their heads.  
  
They all spun around. To Harry's horror, a group of figures had arrived undetected behind them. Most had their hoods up, though the apparent leader had her face uncovered and plainly visible. Harry recognized her immediately.  
  
"Lestrange," whispered Hermione.  
  
Harry lunged for her but was quickly intercepted by two Death Eaters; he struggled violently to free himself, wanting nothing more than to strangle Sirius' murderer with his bare hands, if he could only reach her. His captors, however, held firm.  
  
"I have," replied Bellatrix, as the group of figures slowly moved around them. "A most unexpected but fortunate turn of events...the master will be pleased.  
  
She turned her dark gaze on Luna. "She's the one in possession of the wand, I take it?"  
  
Ron turned back around. "Tonks!" he exclaimed, "You can't be, you're not - " "I don't think she's acting of her own accord, Ronald," said Luna softly, as Tonks ignored them and walked to stand next to Lestrange, close to the wall of flames.  
  
"Seize her!" commanded Bellatrix, pointing to Luna. "Do not damage her wand!!"  
  
A Death Eater roughly grabbed Luna from behind; Harry lunged again but was quickly restrained by his captors; struggling desperately against them, they firmly held his arms, and he couldn't break free. He glimpsed Ron make a move for Luna but he, too, was quickly overpowered. Hermione just stood there, motionless, seemingly at a loss of what to do.  
  
Luna was practically carried before Lestrange; while she wasn't struggling, she'd allowed herself to become totally limp, staring at the ground with apparent disinterest as her captor half dragged her along. Luna, do something! thought Harry furiously. She was the only in the group with a working wand, had she somehow forgotten? She could overpower everyone here!  
  
Lestrange searched Luna's robes and quickly found the wand, to Harry's intense dismay. The Death Eater carrying Luna threw her roughly to the ground, as Lestrange and Tonks turned to face to wall of flames. Harry gave a huge tug to free himself, though his captors were still unwilling to release him.  
  
Lestrange raised the wand, pointing it at the green wall of fire.  
  
"NO!" yelled Harry.  
  
"FINITE INCANTATUM!" cried Lestrange.  
  
The wand, however, failed completely, not even the slightest ember of light emerging from its tip. Lestrange drew the wand close and looked it over in confusion. "She is the Lovegood child, is she not?!" she asked Tonks angrily. "The Dark Lord is certain this is the wand - "  
  
Harry glanced to his left and saw Hermione quickly draw her wand and tap herself on the head. "Occulo praestigiae," she whispered, quickly assuming the colours of her surroundings and disappearing from view.  
  
The Death Eaters around her gaped at the empty spot where Hermione had been standing just moments before. "Where is she?" one of them asked, stepping forward and flailing his arms wildly through the air.  
  
"Stupefy!" Hermione's voice called out from somewhere close by, a jet of light streaking out from nowhere and striking Lestrange squarely in the back. The Death Eater immediately crumpled to the ground.  
  
Yes! Thought Harry. Somehow Hermione had Luna's wand!  
  
Tonks spun around. "Who did that?" she asked, her eyes wide.  
  
One of the Death Eaters holding Harry released his arm and lunged for the area where Hermione's spell had originated; he swung wildly through thin air, finding his target long gone.  
  
Just then Harry saw a new flash of light and felt his other captor collapse heavily to the ground. He immediately threw himself at one of the Death Eaters holding Ron, throwing his shoulder into the man's midsection, sending them both crashing across the stones.  
  
As Harry rolled over the Death Eater he could hear Hermione shooting off more spells, becoming aware of much frantic yelling and screaming as the Death Eaters were now desperately trying to locate Hermione, who was wisely moving after each attack. So long as she managed to elude them, they had a chance.  
  
The Death Eater Harry had knocked down seemed to be out cold; his head had apparently struck the stone slabs rather hard. Harry scrambled to his feet, helping Ron break free of his other captor, just as Hermione's voice called out once more.  
  
"Finite Incantatum!" she said, as Harry saw a white beam of light shoot out towards Tonks...he realised at once that Hermione was hoping to dispel the Imperius Curse.  
  
Tonks ducked at the last moment, and the spell struck the wall of green flame full force; Harry saw the flames shimmer for an instant before lowering briefly to about a foot or two off the ground. The flames only dropped for a second or two, however, before they quickly rose back to their original height. What he had seen inside however, in those few seconds, chilled his spine.  
  
A large, ancient stone archway stood therein on a raised stone dias, seemingly leading to nowhere, the opening covered by a gently swaying tattered black curtain...  
  
Sirius...?  
  
"LOOK!"  
  
Harry jumped at the sound of Ron's voice. He spun around, seeing him pointing towards the edge of the clearing...the Heliopaths had suddenly risen from their apparent slumber and were advancing on them, flames billowing, their feet igniting twigs and leaves on the ground as they advanced.  
  
Harry was only vaguely aware of them, however...he felt drawn to that archway...he had to see it closer...could there be some way to talk to Sirius?  
  
He walked through the chaos erupting all around him, moving towards the wall of flames, dimly registering Tonks getting struck by a flash of light and crumpling next to Lestrange...  
  
He walked a few steps closer to the flames...he saw Ron talking to thin air, pointing at Tonks and nodding vigorously...  
  
He saw Death Eaters running back and forth across his path, ignoring him in their desperate bid to escape...it was just as well...  
  
He was right at the flames now...he needed to make them drop again...he needed the wand...where was Hermione?  
  
He felt a gentle tug on his robes. "Harry," Luna's voice sounded from behind him, "You can't go..."  
  
He heard a piercing screech from an unknown source, no doubt an unfortunate Death Eater who'd gotten too close to one of the approaching infernal entities...but none of that mattered at the moment. He turned around, seeing Luna staring at him, her large silver eyes reflecting the intense green flames behind him.  
  
"Where's Hermione?" he asked. "I need the wand..."  
  
"You can't, Harry," said Luna softly, "I know you want to...I can hear it too..."  
  
He turned away from her, scanning the clearing...he could see the Death Eaters trying desperately to run off, most of them unable to escape the raging Heliopaths...he saw Ron crouching down, pulling a book out of Tonks' robes.  
  
"I've got it!" he heard Ron yell, his voice sounding strangely muffled as he looked at a faintly shimmering figure standing next to Lestrange.  
  
It had to be Hermione, Harry realised. He ran to her, Luna running quickly beside him.  
  
"Hermione," he said, standing over her, "Give me the wand."  
  
"Open it!" Hermione was telling Ron, who quickly flipped open the first page of the book; it had the same misty sheen as the tome they'd seen in the Slytherin Common Room.  
  
"But we don't know where it goes!" protested Ron.  
  
"Hermione, the wand!" said Harry forcefully, holding out his hand.  
  
"We can't stay here!" Hermione was saying, "Ron, take Tonks' hand! Harry, get down!" "Give me the wand!!" yelled Harry, just before Luna gave a huge tug on his robes, sending both of them crashing heavily to the ground, Harry hitting his knee painfully hard against the stones. Her hand intertwined tightly with his; he tried to yank it away. "No! Let me go! I've got to - "  
  
She put her other hand around his wrist and pulled as hard as she could, towards the book that Ron and Hermione were holding between them, Ron holding out Tonks' hand in his own...  
  
"NO!! LET GO!!!"  
  
Harry felt the shimmering texture of the book brush up against his straining fingers, before suddenly being plunged into darkness. 


	16. Luna's Year, Part XVI

Materializing in utter darkness, Harry became quickly aware that his right foot was floating in mid-air with nothing to support it. Quickly losing his balance in the disorienting blackness, he instinctively flailed out to for something to hold on to, his fingers grabbing a handful of robes which only served to bring another hapless individual down on top of him, hitting his head painfully on the floor.  
  
Thankfully, the person he'd dragged down was quite light, only knocking the wind out of him as an elbow landed to his midsection. The sounds of the others hitting the floor around him indicated he was far from alone in his predicament, as the person on top of him quickly rolled off.  
  
He lay on his back, trying to push himself up but found his strength gone; until he could get some much needed air back into his lungs he wasn't going anywhere.  
  
"Lumos!" Hermione's voice called out, a flash of light illuminating their surroundings.  
  
Harry immediately saw why he'd fallen so awkwardly; they'd all materialised atop a large wooden chest, barely wide enough for one person to stand upon, let alone a group.  
  
The others were sprawled around him; Ron was already sitting up, looking in confusion at their surroundings. Luna, who apparently had been the one to fall on top of Harry, was gazing curiously at her hand, as though ensuring all her fingers were still in place. Tonks was lying between her and Hermione, still very much unconscious.  
  
"Is everyone all right?" asked Hermione worriedly as she scrambled to her feet, wand held aloft.  
  
Harry tried to speak but no words emanated from his throat. He only managed a weak nod, trying to put on a brave face and not look too incapacitated. His mind was still back in that mysterious bog...that Veil...could there have been a chance of reaching Sirius, somehow? Lestrange had been unconscious and he had a functioning wand within reach! Why had Luna pulled him away?  
  
"Where are we?" asked Ron, getting to his feet. They were in a filthy, dingy little room, the chest against the far wall facing the only door, a small table beneath a boarded-up window surrounded by four rickety chairs being the limit of the furnishings. The window had evidently been barricaded shut years ago, judging from the dusty cobwebs. The place had a vaguely familiar look to it, though Harry was sure he'd never been inside this room before.  
  
"I'm not sure," said Hermione, inspecting the room as Ron pulled his wand from his robes.  
  
"Lumos," he said, seeing the tip light up with satisfaction. "Finally! I felt naked back there without this thing."  
  
He quickly blushed, ears reddening, upon catching sight of Luna looking up at him with an amused look on her face. "Er...in a matter of speaking - oh Blimey, it's an expression!" he added quickly.  
  
Hermione switched wands again with Luna, testing hers with a Lumos spell to verify its workings. "Well, that's better," she said with noticeable relief.  
  
Harry slowly started to draw shallow breaths, pushing himself up to a sitting position, as Luna's gaze fell upon him.  
  
He drew his wand. "Lumos," he managed to whisper, watching it flare up brightly. He slowly got to his feet, his strength gradually returning. He walked slowly over to Tonks and knelt down next to her. She didn't seem to have suffered any injury from the fall, thankfully.  
  
"Finite Incantatum," he said, the glow from his wand drifting down to envelop her briefly before dissipating. As the words left his mouth his mind drifted back, the sight of the green flames lowering ever so briefly forming in his thoughts...if only he'd been able to get his hands on that wand!  
  
"Enervate," said Hermione. Very slowly Tonks began to stir.  
  
"Shhh!" said Ron, his ear pressed against the door. "Somebody's coming!"  
  
Luna and Harry both turned, both wands trained on the door, at the same moment it opened partway, hitting Ron on hard the head.  
  
"OW!" he cried, stumbling back.  
  
Harry threw himself at the door and managed to slam it shut with his momentum. He fumbled with the doorknob, trying to lock it, but it was so rusty and dilapidated that he couldn't tell if it still worked.  
  
"INTRUDERS!" a voice cried out from beyond the door.  
  
"Colloportus," said Luna, quickly locking the door with a charm.  
  
Harry felt the door shudder as something rammed into it from the other side. Locked or no, the flying splinters from the old, decaying wood made it immediately evident the door would not long hold up to such punishment.  
  
"Oohhh," groaned Tonks, holding her head as she rolled onto her back.  
  
Hermione crouched down next to her, helping her sit up. "We need to get her to Madam Pomfrey," she said, looking up at Ron.  
  
The door shuddered again; it still held, albeit precariously. The old hinges had creaked ominously.  
  
"Alohomora!" Harry heard from the other side, the doorknob briefly glowing with magical energy, the telltale click of a locking mechanism resounding in the room.  
  
Luna quickly used her wand and re-locked the door just as the handle turned partway before jamming. Harry knew they couldn't remain here indefinitely.  
  
Apparently Ron had come to the same conclusion, using his wand to blast away the old planks barricading the window above the table.  
  
The window blasted open with the planks, a shower of splinters strewn across the table and floor, revealing a pitch black sky outside, a cold wintery breeze flowing through the opening. Ron peered out, pointing his wand down for illumination.  
  
"We're on the second floor of a house...bloody hell...we're in the bleeding Shack!!"  
  
"Can we get down from here?" asked Hermione urgently, helping Tonks to her feet...it was clear the young Auror was in no condition to be of any help to them at the moment, being very groggy and barely able to stay on her feet even with Hermione's help.  
  
Harry felt the door shudder again...this time he thought he saw the frame buckle...he knew it was just a matter of time before someone decided to use the Reductor spell. They had to get out, and quickly.  
  
"I think so...yeah!" said Ron. "There's some vines along the wall here...hang on," he ducked back into the room.  
  
"Hurry!" said Harry, as another blow struck the door, heavily splintering one of the old boards near his head.  
  
"Wingardium Leviosa," said Ron, casting the charm on Tonks and Hermione in turn. "Go out the window, there's vines just to the right there, you can use them to pull yourselves down, hurry!"  
  
Hermione nodded, exiting the shattered window first, grabbing hold of the vines and pulling Tonks awkwardly out after her, Ron pushing her from behind.  
  
At that moment, Harry heard a terrifying, ear-splitting shriek just outside the door, so otherworldly and inhuman that he immediately knew its source couldn't possibly be natural. "What was THAT?" he asked, staring at the door apprehensively.  
  
Ron pushed him towards the window. "Hurry up, Harry! I'll cover the door!"  
  
"Luna, go!" said Harry, pointing her to the window before him. She stood and frowned at him, showing no signs of leaving.  
  
"Luna PLEASE!" begged Harry. "There's no time to waste, now GO!!"  
  
For a moment, Harry thought she might refuse, but his pleading had obviously conveyed his insistence clearly enough, as she finally turned around and cast the levitation charm before pulling herself through the window.  
  
"Ron, your turn - what?" said Harry, seeing Ron staring transfixed at the door.  
  
"Blimey!!"  
  
Harry spun around. Something dark and airy, almost smoke-like in appearance, but with a definitely more corporeal presence, was slowly seeping its way through the surface of the closed door into the room.  
  
"GO!" yelled Harry, shoving Ron hard towards the window. He turned and pointed his wand at the black tendril-like forms making their way through the door.  
  
"Stupefy!"  
  
He watched with horror as the flash from his wand passed through the darkness and hit the old wooden door without any discernible effect on either.  
  
"Oh crap."  
  
He quickly backed his way out through the window, feeling Ron frantically rush out to make room for him. As he grabbed hold of the vines and lifted his other leg out of the opening, he suddenly realized he'd forgotten to cast the levitation spell on himself, grabbing wildly at the creepers as they ripped from the wall; he slid rapidly and painfully down, hitting Ron on the way and crashing to the ground quite unceremoniously, the snow at least helping to break their fall.  
  
"Harry! Ron!" exclaimed Hermione worriedly, as she turned him over, waving her illuminated wand in his face. Luna was standing right behind and peering over her shoulder at Harry. "Oh goodness, are you..."  
  
"I'm okay," said Harry, sitting up and brushing himself off, casting a glance at Ron who was thankfully already getting to his feet.  
  
Harry looked at himself. His uniform was torn in several places from the thorny vines, and he had a good many cuts here and there, but they'd slowed his fall sufficiently so that, combined with the snow, he'd managed to avoid any serious injury.  
  
"Why didn't you levitate yourself, mate?" said Ron a bit gruffly as he grabbed hold of Harry's arm and pulled him to his feet.  
  
"I just forgot," said Harry, "What was that thing? No wait, let's just get away from here," he looked up at the broken window barely visible in the darkness above them.  
  
They walked through the knee-deep snow with some difficulty. Luna followed behind, using her wand to obscure their tracks as they went.  
  
They trudged their way to the top of the hill overlooking the sleepy village of Hogsmeade. "I'd give my Cleansweep to know what that thing was," said Ron as Harry gazed down on the houses below.  
  
"What thing?" asked Hermione, pulling along Tonks' floating form by the hand.  
  
"Something was coming through the door," said Ron, "Like a black cloud, almost. What did you do to it Harry? I heard you cast a Stupefy spell."  
  
"It didn't do anything," answered Harry, "Just went right through and hit the door."  
  
Just then Harry heard the same horrifying shriek he'd heard before, coming from back in the direction of the Shack, sending shivers down his spine. Nothing of this world could sound like that, he knew.  
  
"Holy cricket," whispered Hermione, eyes wide with fright. "Was...was that - "  
  
"Yeah," said Harry, "Let's get going."  
  
"Going?" asked Ron, eyeing the Shack in the distance nervously. "Where are we going?"  
  
"We have to get back to Hogwarts, Ron," said Hermione, "It's freezing out here! In case you haven't noticed, Luna and I aren't exactly wearing trousers like you and - "  
  
"I know that!" said Ron angrily, "I'm not stupid! But why don't we take the tunnel?"  
  
"You want to try sneaking back in there?" asked Harry, nodding in the direction of the Shack.  
  
"Eh," said Ron sheepishly, "Yeah, guess that's out, isn't it..."  
  
"C'mon, we can go down to Hogsmeade...we can send a post owl to the school from there, maybe they can send us a carriage or something."  
  
"Well...anything is better than freezing out here, I guess," said Ron.  
  
They slowly made their way down the hill, Harry feeling his feet becoming icy cold as the snow filled his shoes as they trudged along. He wondered how Hermione and Luna were managing, with their indoor skirts...  
  
Finally reaching the village, they went down the main street a short distance until they stood before the post office, only to find it closed.  
  
"Well, that's to be expected at this time of night, I suppose," said Hermione. "Is there anywhere else we can go, I'm freezing - "  
  
"Yeah, over here," said Harry, crossing the street as the others quickly scampered to follow him.  
  
He headed down several buildings until he came to the Three Broomsticks, which appeared to be the only establishment in sight still open. "We can ask Madam Rosmerta," he said, pulling the door open, "She must have an owl we can borrow."  
  
They shuffled into the inn, which was sparsely populated at the moment with only a few customers in the place; the table nearest the bar had obviously a local couple; a table in the near corner had an old, cloaked witch, though to Harry's relief it was grey and not the black colour invariably work by Death Eaters. Sitting at a table in the far alcove were three goblins, drinking mead and engaged in an animated, though whispered, discussion. Madame Rosmerta was behind the bar and saw Harry's group immediately; she quickly moved to meet them upon seeing Tonks' floating form, the sight of which caused the goblins to pause their discussion long enough to glance in her direction.  
  
"Good lord, Harry," said Madam Rosmerta as she reached them, "What happened to you? Isn't that Nymphadora Tonks?"  
  
'Yeah it is," said Harry quickly, "Er, listen Madam Rosmerta, we're kind of in trouble, we need to get her to Hogwarts, but we don't have any way to get back except on foot - "  
  
"Well you're certainly not dressed for a late night walk in weather like this!" she said, as she studied them, "You're just wearing your school robes, for heaven's sake!"  
  
"I know," said Harry, hoping she wasn't going to demand an explanation. "We were wondering, if we could just borrow your owl, just to send to Hagrid, you know? He could send a carriage - " "Oh, of course!" she said, "But your friend looks like she needs some rest...here," she rummaged through her apron, pulling out a key "This is my room upstairs, first door on the left...take her up there, my owl's in there too; you can find quill and parchment on the writing desk."  
  
"Okay, thanks!" said Harry gratefully, pulling Tonks along behind him, anxious to get away before Madam Rosmerta could begin asking questions. Hermione ran up behind him, pushing Tonks aside just in time to prevent her colliding into one of the pillars at the base of the staircase. "Harry, slow down!"  
  
Madam Rosmerta turned to Ron and Luna, "Well, what's the story?" she asked, "What were you doing out there, especially so late after curfew?"  
  
"Err...we...um..." said Ron, shifting uncomfortably.  
  
"We visited the Dark Wizard Grindelwald's prison," said Luna conversationally. "It was quite spectacular, actually. But then we got attacked by a group of Death Eaters and Heliopaths, so we had to leave."  
  
Madam Rosmerta put her hands on her hips and glared at Luna a stern look reminiscent of McGonagall. "Fine," she said brusquely. "If you don't want to tell me, that's your business."  
  
She turned to Ron, her usually cheerful disposition noticeably absent. "Want anything while you wait?"  
  
"Um...well, yeah, I guess," he said, "I s'pose I'll have a butterbeer."  
  
With that, the innkeeper spun on her heel and headed back to the bar. Ron glanced uncomfortably at Luna, who seemed totally unperturbed by the obvious slight; in fact, she'd already turned around and was making a beeline for the table with the goblins.  
  
Ron quickly headed her off. "Oy, what are you doing?"  
  
She looked up at him with her large silvery eyes, a surprised look on her face. "I was going to go sit with them," she said serenely, pointing to the corner table, "I've never had a conversation with a goblin before. It would be quite interesting to hear their views, wouldn't it? Would you like to partake?"  
  
"Um...look..." said Ron, "This isn't really the best time, weren't not even supposed to be here, remember..."  
  
"Oh...well, all right," she said, drifting over instead to a table next to the fireplace, turning a chair towards the fire and pointing her snow- drenched shoes towards the flames. Ron briefly considered taking a seat at another table, but thought better of it; it would only makes things between them even more awkward, he thought. He slowly made his way to the fireplace and took a seat opposite her.  
  
"Here you are," said Madam Rosmerta said, having returned from the bar with Ron's butterbeer. She glanced at Luna, her expression softening somewhat at the Ravenclaw's sorry state, what with her drenched skirt and pale legs red with cold. "Eh...would you like anything?" she asked.  
  
Luna smiled serenely at her. "A gillywater with onion, please."  
  
" - with..." Madam Rosmerta looked at her, a look of recognition crossing her face. "Oh, now I remember! You were here with Harry and Professor Dumbledore a couple of months ago, weren't you?"  
  
Luna nodded dreamily. Madam Rosmerta looked a bit perplexed as she left to go get the requested gillywater.  
  
Ron glanced at Luna as he took a test sip from his butterbeer; she was just sitting there, quietly staring at him, head slightly tilted to one side, as though staring at an abstract painting in a museum.  
  
Ron felt his stomach slowly tightening up again. Crikey, why does she have to do that, he thought.  
  
"Um...so...what's new?" he managed to churn out uncomfortably.  
  
She did not answer, seemingly content to stare unblinkingly at Ron, making him shift uncomfortably in his seat as he desperately tried to look unconcerned. He fiddled with his napkin.  
  
"Why are you so nervous, Ronald?" she finally asked.  
  
He flicked a glance at her over his mug. "Err...what?"  
  
"Well, you do seem to behave strangely when I'm near," said Luna. "You really shouldn't worry, though. I won't turn you to stone, you know."  
  
"I know that!" said Ron hastily, wondering if Luna had somehow overheard the joke he'd told Seamus about her staring reminding him of a medusa's attempt at petrification. He was beginning to wish he'd followed his first instinct and sat at another table, her feelings be damned.  
  
Luna smiled up at Madam Rosmerta as she brought her glass of gillywater, complete with a cocktail onion on a stick. Ron was thankful for the interruption; he went back to sipping his butterbeer, staring into its foamy head, hoping Luna would forget the conversation. He was becoming hopeful when she seemed to content herself with serenely using her impaled onion to stir her gillywater.  
  
A few minutes passed in silence, only the crackling of the fire and the faint muttering of whispered conversation emanating from the goblins permeating the room, though Ron's anxiety was by no means allayed by this.  
  
Come on Harry, he thought, wondering what could be keeping his friends upstairs so long.  
  
He was taking a gulp from his butterbeer when the awkward silence was abruptly cut short.  
  
"Did you know the Chudley Cannons bribed their way to the championship last year?" asked Luna dreamily.  
  
Ron immediately choked on his butterbeer, coughing violently into his glass with a gurgle and a snort as the brew flew back into his face, spilling out onto his robes and his side of the table.  
  
Luna let out a sudden burst of laughter, pointing at Ron as Madam Pomfrey looked up from the bar.  
  
"Everything all right, over there?"  
  
Ron went to speak before being cut off by more coughing fits, having tried to talk through the beer rather unsuccessfully. He saw the old couple at the table near the bar looking at him; he forced himself to cough inwardly, his shoulders heaving in rapid succession, his face becoming a rather intense shade of scarlet.  
  
Luna's eyes were filled with tears of mirth as she made no effort to hide her amusement, her laughter filling the room, one hand on her stomach. All this combined with her merrily shaking finger pointing right at Ron, she wasn't exactly helping him maintain his dignity...even the goblins had interrupted their secretive conversation to stare in his direction.  
  
"Where'd you hear THAT?" he finally managed to sputter, rather angrily.  
  
"I...didn't!" said Luna in between breathless gasps of laughter, holding her ribs.  
  
"What?" asked Ron, now becoming both quite irritated and utterly confused. It wasn't helping matters that the goblins were still ogling him.  
  
Luna gradually managed to bring her laughter somewhat under control, her shoulders shaking under the effort to keep from bursting out loud again. "I made it up," she said, her voice quivering with merriment.  
  
"What?" asked Ron again in exasperation. "Why??"  
  
"Ginny told me it's your favourite team," she giggled.  
  
"Yeah, so?" said Ron, feeling more confused than ever. "What's that got to do with it?"  
  
"Well, you don't feel so uncomfortable now, do you?" said Luna, taking her napkin and cleaning up his side of the table, smiling merrily.  
  
Ron gaped at her. He realised she was right...he'd gone from extreme unease to anger, confusion and relief in a matter of just a few seconds...  
  
He sat back heavily in his chair, feeling a little less queasy. Her napkin soaked, she went back to serenely stirring her gillywater, her gaze fixed on her glass, although her dreamy smile remained bright.  
  
"Do you...follow Quidditch at all?" asked Ron, "Aside from at Hogwarts, I mean?"  
  
"A little," said Luna, "Daddy is quite keen on the Cannons too; he was rather happy when they won the league championship last year, you know. He said it was their first in over a hundred years...and we did go to the World Cup a couple of years ago. That was nice."  
  
"He's a fan?" asked Ron, genuinely surprised. "Who's his favourite player?"  
  
"Oh...well, Joey Jenkins, I think," said Luna dreamily, drawing her onion form her drink and setting it aside on the saucer. "He says he's the best beater the league has seen in years."  
  
"Cool!" said Ron, surprised to find himself smiling as he glimpsed Harry and Hermione coming down the staircase into the bar.  
  
"Hey, how's Tonks?" he asked.  
  
"I think she'll be fine," said Hermione, joining them at the table. "She just needs some rest and - " she looked at Ron curiously as Harry moved to the chair on the other side.  
  
"Goodness, what happened to you?" she asked.  
  
Harry caught a whiff of butterbeer in the air as he sat down. "Did somebody throw a beer in your face?" Harry asked, catching just a slight mischievous glint in Luna's eyes...but she had a gillywater in front of her, not a beer...  
  
"Blimey!" said Ron, taking a corner of his robes and wiping his face...he'd been so shocked by Luna's statement about the Cannons that he'd quite forgotten he was still dripping in froth. "Nah," he said sheepishly, "Just swallowed funny, is all."  
  
Hermione seemed sceptical of his explanation, especially upon noticing his reddening ears. To Ron's relief she didn't bother to pursue the matter.  
  
"Well, we sent the owl off," said Harry. "Hopefully Hagrid will send a carriage and we can get back before morning...though I don't think we'll be able to get out of detention now - "  
  
"What will you have?" asked Madam Rosmerta, coming by with a towel to clean up the remaining mess in front of Ron.  
  
"Oh...orange juice for me, thanks," said Hermione.  
  
"Nothing for me," said Harry. "I'm not thirsty," he added upon seeing Ron's questioning gaze.  
  
"An orange juice and a nothing, coming right up," said the innkeeper as she finished wiping the table and marched off to the bar.  
  
"Hey...what was that thing?" asked Ron in a low voice, "That thing in the Shack, I mean...it didn't exactly sound human, did it?"  
  
"I don't know," said Harry. "Um...maybe we shouldn't talk about this here, though," he whispered, nodding his head towards the other patrons, who he thought were listening attentively to their conversation even though they were studiously avoiding his gaze. But then, they hadn't exactly been inconspicuous, had they? Waltzing into the place in the middle of the night, wearing their everyday school robes and pulling along a floating, half conscious, purple-haired Auror.  
  
Harry glanced at Luna...she was contentedly sucking on her onion, her large, silver eyes staring at each of them in turn. He wished he could simply throw away anxiety as well as she evidently could... 


	17. Luna's Year, Part XVII

Dumbledore quietly closed the door to the hospital wing before placing his hand on Harry's shoulder and ushering him to the far end of the deserted hall, where they couldn't be overheard. Although it was well past midnight by now, Harry noticed that the Headmaster was still clad in his day robes, a resplendent sky blue silk frock complete with the stellar representations of Sol's nine planetary satellites.  
  
"I must ask you, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly, a look of concern etched on his lined face, a sharp contrast to the reassuring aura he'd manifested at Tonks' bedside only minutes before, "Not to utilise a portkey without knowing where it may lead; the consequences of your actions this night might have been...severe."  
  
Harry stood dumbfounded. It was the closest thing to a reprimand he'd ever received from the Headmaster. His stomach felt as though it were being dragged down with weights; he'd already felt responsible enough for dragging his friends into danger, without having to be reminded of it by Dumbledore. His shoulders sagged, feeling utterly despondent. He hadn't wanted any of this to happen...all he did was touch a stupid book...how was he to know?  
  
The old Headmaster smiled slightly, as if sensing his mood. "That said...you may have provided an important clue as to Lord Voldemort's recent inactivity, Harry."  
  
Harry looked up into the venerable wizards's twinkling blue eyes. "I did?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded sagely. "Lord Voldemort and his minions have been unusually placid since the events of last semester," he said quietly. "So much so, in fact, that the Order has experienced considerable difficulty getting any insight into his activities. Only Nymphadora Tonks," he looked back towards the hospital wing, where the young Auror was now resting, "Was able to provide any tidbits of useful information. At least, that is, until she was discovered."  
  
Harry's morale dipped again. He hadn't a clue as to how Tonks might have been discovered, yet couldn't help but get the feeling that he'd been responsible, somehow.  
  
"You see, Harry," continued Dumbledore, "She had recently discovered that members of Lord Voldemort's inner circle were using several of the Dark Wizard Grindelwald's artifacts, some of which were portkeys. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to ascertain their plans before her disappearance. This, however, has been rectified through your discoveries tonight."  
  
Harry's head was swimming...he was dead tired, still aching from the various cuts and bruises he'd suffered after falling out of the second story window at the Shrieking Shack...so many unanswered questions...  
  
"You mean...that prison? Luna did say it was Grindelwald's..." he said cautiously. "There was a ring of green flame all around - " "Oh yes," Dumbledore said. "I created it, Harry, many years ago. Those flames you saw will stop any who would wish to breach them; hence, I'd crafted certain wards to avoid any possible disruption of the barrier."  
  
"So...it really is Grindelwald's prison, then?" Harry ventured, his curiosity slowly growing.  
  
"Well...not so much a prison, Harry," said Dumbledore, "More of a gateway of sorts, an ingress without egress, if you will..."  
  
"And...Voldemort's trying to...get Grindelwald out?"  
  
"Oh, no. Not to worry, Harry," said Dumbledore reassuringly, "Grindelwald can never return to this world, even were the barrier somehow breached. However, I believe that Lord Voldemort may be attempting to communicate with him in some way."  
  
Harry swallowed. If one could communicate with those beyond the Veil...  
  
"Is that possible?" asked Harry carefully, recalling the strange, disembodied, whispered voices he'd heard from behind the mysterious veil at the Department of Mysteries the previous year. He recalled vividly how he'd felt strangely drawn to them...  
  
"That is an unknown, Harry," said the Headmaster in answer to his question. "Death is a subject in which Lord Voldemort is well versed. He has devoted his entire existence into avoiding it, turning it, essentially, into his greatest nemesis...and, as in all things, it is wise to learn as much about your enemy as possible. Indeed, it is the one area in which Voldemort's knowledge undoubtedly outstrips my own."  
  
Harry gaped at him. It hardly seemed possible; Dumbledore's knowledge was stuff of legend. Harry had always been greatly reassured by the Headmaster's seemingly limitless capabilities, but now, to hear him say something like this, it was as though someone had deprived him of a crutch.  
  
Dumbledore seemed to sense Harry's disbelief, as he raised his eyebrows in turn. "It is quite true, you know. Death has never really been a matter to hold my interest, Harry. During my youth, I seem to recall having to write an essay on the subject; needless to say, it was one of my more spectacular failures," he said furtively.  
  
Harry couldn't help but allow himself a smile. Try as he might, he couldn't quite manage to picture Dumbledore as a 'youth'. He got the distinct impression that the young Dumbledore might have been quite a handful for the teachers of the time.  
  
"In any event," the Headmaster continued, "Exactly why Lord Voldemort is attempting to breach the barrier, I cannot say. Grindelwald's knowledge of ancient magic was considerable, and accessing that knowledge may be a possibility; but now, at least, we have an idea of what he has been up to these last months, which may aid us in ultimately determining his plan."  
  
Harry nodded. He immediately regretted not having brought Lestrange back with them, unconscious as she was...but then, his mind at the time had been rather...preoccupied.  
  
For some reason Dumbledore had not seemed at all perturbed by this error in judgement. Perhaps it was the realization that, given her history at Azkaban, it was highly unlikely that she would have volunteered any information.  
  
"Now then," said Dumbledore, "I must confess to some surprise, Harry."  
  
"Professor?" asked Harry, seeing the old Headmaster mulling something over thoughtfully.  
  
"Your friend, Miss Lovegood," he said quietly. "Upon realizing she was Annabelle Lovegood's daughter, I became of course aware she had in her possession her mother's wand. However, what is disturbing is that Lord Voldemort also seems to be aware of that same fact."  
  
Harry felt his anxiety increase sharply. Was Luna in some danger?  
  
"It...was the only one of our wands that worked in that place," he said.  
  
"Yes," affirmed Dumbledore, "Indeed, it would be the only wand capable of doing so. No doubt that is why Lord Voldemort wished to obtain it."  
  
"But...why is it so important? Why wasn't it affected like the others..." Harry trailed off, nonplussed.  
  
"The wards I placed some fifty years ago had the effect of negating a wand's material component, Harry," replied Dumbledore, "Rendering any such item, of course, useless. However, in ancient times, there was a single, very powerful wizard who experimented with combining divergent components together in one wand. As you've no doubt learned in Transfiguration class, every component has certain strengths and weaknesses. His goal was to combine two such components of very contrasting properties, thereby creating an extremely powerful wand."  
  
"So...because it had two..." ventured Harry.  
  
"Exactly," said Dumbledore. "Only one component was negated. The other continued to work quite normally, from what you described."  
  
Harry frowned. "But...why doesn't Voldemort make another wand with two components? Why does he need Luna's?" Dumbledore smiled at him. "Well...the combining of two components in a single wand is quite beyond him, and myself, for that matter. Indeed, all who have tried have found the results to be impossibly chaotic, quite useless as a conduit of magical energy. All, that is, except one. And, until approximately forty years ago, I believed that wand had been lost to the ages. That is, until a certain young child began her studies at Hogwarts."  
  
"Luna's mum," Harry realized.  
  
"Quite so," said Dumbledore. "Needless to say, I was quite surprised to discover the wand still existed, more than a millennium after its creation. I of course knew that it could potentially be used in Bodwin Moor, though I never informed young Miss Lovegood of this."  
  
He looked at Harry with a look of concern that did little to alleviate Harry's anxiety. "I must confess, I am at something of a loss to explain how Lord Voldemort became aware of its existence. Though he cannot bring Grindelwald back into this realm, his potential attempts at communicating with him is a matter of concern, if that is indeed what he has been up to these last few months."  
  
Harry wondered what possible advantage Voldemort would gain by speaking to the infamous Dark Wizard; he now wished he'd listened carefully to Professor Binns' lecture about Grindelwald the previous year. But then, it had been no more exciting than any of his other discourses, and he'd only paid fleeting attention.  
  
His thoughts had fixated on the possibility of communicating with those beyond the Veil...though, judging from the Headmaster, it seemed to be beyond even Dumbledore's capability.  
  
"Are you...is Luna going to lose her wand?" he asked finally.  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "No, Harry. If Miss Lovegood is anything at all like her mother, I needn't worry."  
  
Harry blinked. "Um...Professor?"  
  
"Annabelle Lovegood was a supremely gifted witch, Harry," he said quietly, "Her heritage gave her a certain...connection, shall we say, to ancient magic that the wizarding world has all but forgotten through the ages. In fact, it was one of her goals to research these forms of magic and incorporate them into modern spellcasting. As I recall, it was one of her major projects at the Ministry, however I fear that pressure from her superiors for results may have contributed in part to her most unfortunate end."  
  
"Err...what sort of connection?" asked Harry, shifting his weight to his other foot, his curiosity piqued.  
  
"Well, Harry, perhaps I'd best leave that to - "  
  
"Harry! Professor!"  
  
Harry jumped at the sound of Ron's voice echoing down the long hall. He was running towards them, a black, leather-clad book in his hands.  
  
"Blimey, couldn't believe it was still there," he said upon reaching them, handing the tome to Dumbledore, "It was still right on the table where we'd left it."  
  
The Headmaster gazed at the book with interest. "Well done, Mr. Weasley," he said at last. "This is definitely an artifact of Grindelwald's..his fortress has always eluded those who have searched for it, it would be interesting to discover how this was obtained."  
  
"Malfoy's going to get expelled, right?" asked Ron excitedly, pointing at the book. "It's illegal to have an unauthorized portkey isn't it?"  
  
"Quite correct, Mr. Weasley," replied Dumbledore. "However, Mr. Malfoy may become most useful to us exactly where he is, therefore I must ask you not to confront him with your knowledge of any of this."  
  
Ron gaped at the old Headmaster. "Professor, you can't be serious!" he said, "He's practically a Death-Eater! He's in cahoots! He's been spying on the school, he's been - "  
  
Dumbledore put up his hands. "Relax, Mr. Weasley," he said calmly. "I am aware of his activities, as you all have been very fervent in keeping an eye on him ever since last Hogsmeade weekend. However, as tonight's events have demonstrated, having him here may actually present Lord Voldemort with more of a problem than would otherwise be the case."  
  
Ron's mouth opened, but evidently decided arguing would be of no avail, especially as Harry didn't seem to be pressing the issue himself.  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "Well then," he said quietly, "Off you go."  
  
* * *  
  
"I must impress upon you the gravity of your actions tonight, Miss Granger," said Professor McGonagall, who, unlike Dumbledore, had been obviously roused from bed, her head still covered in a sleeping bonnet. "The violation of curfew, sneaking into the Slytherin Common Room, the theft of personal property - "  
  
"Theft?! But we never took - " protested Hermione. McGonagall waved her hand abruptly, clearly indicating she was not to be interrupted. " - the illegal use of a portkey - "  
  
"But we didn't know it was - "  
  
"Miss Granger!" said McGonagall sharply, her face stern and unyielding, "If I may beg your indulgence? What has gotten into you?"  
  
Hermione's face became flushed; she couldn't bring herself to believe that she was being lectured about school rules considering the circumstances...out of the corner of her eye she saw Luna rise up from Tonks' bedside, drifting over to stand next to her.  
  
Unlike Hermione, who was not bothering to conceal her frustration, Luna seemed dreamy and detached, but the young Gryffindor was nevertheless grateful for her show of support.  
  
McGonagall looked down at Hermione, her severe expression softening somewhat. "I am aware of the significance of what you have uncovered this night; it is precisely because of that mitigating fact that I am refraining from deducting any points from Gryffindor, seeing as they would be simply counterbalanced by your achievements. And, it would be best that word of these events not become general knowledge. But I must emphasize to you, the seriousness of what you have done."  
  
"I...I know, Professor," whispered Hermione in resignation, crossing her arms and turning her gaze to one of the unoccupied beds next to her.  
  
"I would have thought that you, of all people, would have shown better judgement, Miss Granger. This recklessness is quite out of character!" she glanced at Luna, who was gazing up at her serenely, hands clasped together behind her back, slowly rocking back and forth on her feet, as though observing an interesting store window display.  
  
"And what do you have to say for yourself in all of this, Miss Lovegood?"  
  
"Well, it was quite interesting, actually," answered Luna serenely. "I can't wait to tell Daddy about the Heliopaths, he's going to be so happy; he got lots of mail, you know, when he published - "  
  
McGonagall frowned. "Well, so long as you found it educational!" she snapped, clearly flustered by her apparent inability to convey her meaning to the girl. "I was referring to - your attention, please, Miss Lovegood," she said, as Luna had taken to gazing up at the ornate carvings on the trestles overhead, "I was referring to your reasons for participating in this mockery of school rules!"  
  
Luna stared at her for several moments, absent-mindedly twisting a long stray strand of dirty blonde hair between her fingers. "Well, the Hat said we ought to, didn't it?" "The hat? What pray tell are you prattling on about?"  
  
"Last year," said Luna dreamily, "At the start of term, the Sorting Hat told us the Houses should stand united, remember? I think it's a wonderful idea, actually; I never really liked the concept of different hou - "  
  
McGonagall cut her off with an abrupt wave of her hand. "Be that as it may, Miss Lovegood, that is not the issue here. Blatant rule breaking cannot be tolerated, as it promotes - "  
  
"But it is the issue," interrupted Luna in turn, drawing a hushed gasp from Hermione. Never had she seen any student argue with the head of Gryffindor House before, who was now ogling the young Ravenclaw with a admittedly shocked expression. "If there's no school left, then rules won't matter much, really," continued Luna, showing no sign whatsoever of having committed a terrible faux-pas. "The Hat warned us, it said 'Our Hogwarts is in danger From external, deadly foes, And we must unite inside her, Or crumble from within'."  
  
She gazed at McGonagall, her silvery eyes not so dreamy or misty as before. The Transfiguration teacher was staring back at her, the shocked expression having given way to one of sternness. "I don't know how you were raised, Miss Lovegood, but in civilized society it is considered impolite to interrupt someone while they are speaking," she said coldly.  
  
"Yes, I know," said Luna dreamily, "You've interrupted me twice already."  
  
McGonagall looked at Luna circumspectly, the faintest hint of a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth as she slowly shook her head. "Well...you do beat all, child," she said. "Very well...get back to your dormitories, the both of you. You still have classes tomorrow as usual."  
  
"Yes, Professor," said Hermione with visible relief, as she and Luna left the hospital wing behind them, emerging into the hall.  
  
"I still can't believe she criticized us for using a portkey," said Hermione in frustration after she'd closed the door behind them. "How were we supposed to know? It's not as though it was labelled 'Caution: Portkey' was it?? Ron told me he used one once that was an old boot!"  
  
"Well, Professor McGonagall has always been stricter with students from her own House, hasn't she?" said Luna. "I'm glad I have Professor Flitwick."  
  
"And notice how she never said a word about Malfoy," said Hermione acrimoniously, her hands balled into fists at her sides as she stomped angrily down the hall. "Oh, he'd better not get off again after all this, I swear..." She felt a tug at her sleeve, making her come to a stop.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Luna, her head titled slightly to one side, as it often did whenever she seemed curious or concerned. "You sound rather upset..."  
  
"Oh, I'm...I'm just blowing off some steam. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you."  
  
"You didn't," said Luna, "I'm just wondering where the steam is coming from, actually."  
  
Hermione looked at her, seeing a pair of large, silvery eyes staring back expectantly. She sighed.  
  
"I'm really upset about what happened to Tonks," she finally admitted, her voice edgy. "Voldemort used her, Luna! She was under the Imperius Curse, who knows how that's going to affect her? And to think, she'll still have all the memories of everything that happened...and all the teachers can think about are school rules and House points!"  
  
"That's true, I suppose," said Luna serenely. "She's not under his control anymore, though..."  
  
"No, but - "  
  
"Well, I think she'll be happy about that, won't she?" said Luna. "And Madam Pomfrey did say she'd like to keep her here for a few days, so we'll get a chance to talk to her, if you like. I'll bake her a batch of chocolate Snorkacks too, I'm getting rather good at it. You really shouldn't worry so much..."  
  
Hermione felt her anger lessen slightly. "I guess that's one way of looking at it," she said heavily. She rubbed her fists into her stinging eyes, "Maybe I'm just too tired to be thinking of this right now...I think I'll just try and catch whatever sleep I can before morning."  
  
"Good thinking," nodded Luna. "Well, I'll see you in the morning, then. Goodnight!" she said happily as she started to leave.  
  
"Oh, wait, Luna!" said Hermione as she caught up with her. "I'd better escort you to Ravenclaw tower, just in case Filch - "  
  
"Oh, no, that's all right," said Luna, smiling. "I often go for walks at night, you know. I hardly ever get caught."  
  
"Well...are you sure?" asked Hermione. She knew she really should go with her, being a Prefect and all. But exhausted as she was, her pillow was beckoning loudly.  
  
"Oh yes," said Luna. "You're a prefect though, so best look the other way, so you don't see me breaking more school rules," she said merrily as she strolled off.  
  
Hermione laughed, her spirits rising slightly. "Okay, Luna, you win." she said as she turned around and headed down the hall towards her own dormitory.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry was startled by a shrill hissing sound, at very same instant he saw the grey form of Mrs. Norris jumping violently in the air in front of him, fangs bared fiercely and claws extended.  
  
He quickly took a step back, only then realizing he'd inadvertently stepped on her tail in his early morning daze.  
  
"Er...sorry..." he said, as she hissed irately at him before bolting down the corridor towards the lower levels, headed, presumably, for Filch's office.  
  
Great, thought Harry, just what I need in the morning.  
  
He'd hardly slept in the last few hours left to him since his conversation with the Headmaster, having tossed and turned so much that he'd finally given up on getting any worthwhile slumber in favour of getting some early breakfast. Although, as his encounter with Mrs. Norris had proven, he was still a virtual somnambulist.  
  
He walked groggily down the centre aisle in the nearly deserted Great Hall to the High Table, barely feeling the warmth of the flames as he passed the great fireplace, and piled himself a few toast and jams onto his plate before making his way back down to the Gryffindor table.  
  
He squinted his still blurry eyes at someone waving at him at the far end. He ambled closer, finally recognizing Luna, who'd obviously had breakfast some time before and was now in the process of stuffing what looked like tiny woolen socks with an assortment of acorns and butternuts.  
  
"Good morning," she said, gazing at him earnestly as he dropped onto the seat opposite her. "Were you in a fight? You don't look at all well."  
  
"Eh?" said Harry, "Oh, I didn't get much sleep..."  
  
"Oh...well, that would explain it..." Luna took the polished pewter plate that had once held her cupcake and swept off the crumbs, holding it up before him.  
  
Harry blinked. That couldn't be himself staring back, could it? His eyes were half shut, underlined by dark circles, his usually messy hair sticking out wildly in all directions as though he'd been victimized by a rogue bolt of lightning.  
  
"Ack!" he said, trying to smooth down his disastrously wild hair, with little success. "Well, I've got to take a shower later anyway," he said, finally giving up.  
  
Luna put the plate down. "Sleep is food for the brain, Harry. You really shouldn't starve it, you know, it's not good for the imagination. There's still a couple of hours before classes start, why don't - "  
  
"It won't do any good," said Harry, dazedly buttering a piece of toast with some jam, using his fork as he'd left his knife back at the High Table. "Anyway, what's that you're making?" he asked as he took a half-hearted bite.  
  
Luna glanced down at the little woolen socks. "Oh, these are little presents I've been making..."  
  
"Oh, for the House Elves, I guess?" asked Harry, discovering his bread had the flavour of cardboard.  
  
"Well...no," said Luna, looking back at Harry uncertainly. "I'm not supposed to say, really. I promised."  
  
"That's all right," said Harry quickly, not wanting to put her on the spot. "They just looked to be about the right size, that's all."  
  
Luna picked up an empty sock and considered it carefully. "You know, they are, aren't they?" she said. "I made way too many, actually. Maybe Hermione would like the extra ones for the elves..."  
  
Harry continued eating for a while, watching Luna as she continued filling the remainder of her little socks until she'd used up all her acorns and butternuts. Though neither had spoken the whole time, the ensuing silence didn't feel at all awkward somehow. Luna's unique quirkiness was such that Harry felt very much at ease with the young Ravenclaw, the inherent social pressures when dealing with most people being noticeably absent here.  
  
"Well, I'm done," she said at last with satisfaction, carefully filling her bag with the small pile of packed socks. "I've got to go deliver these...I'll see you later, Harry," she said, smiling dreamily as she stood from her seat to gather her things.  
  
"Um - " said Harry, making Luna hesitate. Harry dropped the remainder of his muffin onto his plate. "Luna, could I ask you something...if you're not in a hurry, I mean?"  
  
"Sure, Harry," she said serenely, sitting back down. "This is my quiet day. I don't have classes till this afternoon."  
  
"Um...I've been wondering...about what you said..." he trailed off, wondering if he should have brought it up after all; perhaps it was best if he tried to just forget what happened instead...  
  
Luna tilted her head slightly, her silvery eyes staring into his. He couldn't stop now, he decided, after making her stay to hear him out -  
  
He took a deep breath. "What you said about you hearing it too..."  
  
"Oh, that...well...I could tell you really wanted to go in there, Harry," she said quietly. "I could hear the voices too...you were thinking about your Godfather, weren't you?"  
  
"Yeah," said Harry, "I was...you know, this is going to sound terrible, but I never really knew my parents, I was just a year old when...but Sirius...I never got to say goodbye..."  
  
Luna was staring at him intently now. "Well...I know how that is," she said quietly. "Neither did I...but Harry, you will see him again, one day. Your folks, too...but you shouldn't go walking through Veils to do it, you know."  
  
"Yeah, I know," said Harry, "It just...seems to pull me in, somehow. It's like I can't think straight around it."  
  
"I know," she nodded sagely. "I saw how you reacted to it that time at the Ministry too...it's the voices, isn't it?"  
  
"I don't know," he admitted, running his hands through his mussed up hair, "I'm just so tired with this whole thing...it's..."  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"I've had it," he said. "This war with Voldemort, the Prophecy, almost getting my friends killed, it's all because of me...I'm so sick of it all..."  
  
Luna bit her lip, looking at him sadly. They both sat there in silence for awhile, until the young Ravenclaw suddenly brightened. "I know!" she said earnestly, startling him. "Harry, why don't you come with me?"  
  
"Huh? Uh, where?" asked Harry, taken aback by her suddenly energetic demeanor.  
  
"I have to go deliver these," she said, holding up her bag in front of him, "Why don't you come?"  
  
"Er..." said Harry, his fogged-up brain experiencing difficult keeping up with Luna's surprise meanderings, "I can't, I have a double History of Magic class this morning..." "Oh, come on," said Luna, "It will do you good, Harry. Besides, Hermione told me how you and Ronald just copy her notes after class anyway."  
  
Harry stared at her. Luna Lovegood was asking him to go with her to...well to who-knows-where, he thought. It was doubly surprising as she'd simply brushed aside his initial declination...her apparent insistence was so atypical of her that his curiosity was piqued.  
  
"Well...yeah, okay," he said. "Um...where are we going, though?"  
  
Luna closed her eyes. Harry saw her lips moving slightly, as though mumbling something to herself, a few moments later her large silver eyes popping open once more. "Nope...I just thought back to my promise, Harry, so I can't tell you...but I can show you," she said.  
  
Harry gaped at her. The last time he'd heard those words, they'd been uttered by Tom Riddle...  
  
But no, he chastised himself, it was mere coincidence; there was absolutely no connection between the two. In fact Luna was just about as diametrically opposite to Riddle as anyone could possibly be...and even though he had no idea where she would lead him, he knew he would trust her.  
  
"Okay," he said at last, rising from the table, "I'm just going to stop at the tower, to let them know I won't be in class...and I'll grab my coat while I'm at it."  
  
Luna stood up with him, putting on her winter coat and reaching down under the table, grabbing what appeared to be a black, wide-brimmed witches' hat. Though this one was rather unique, sprouting a pair of large reindeer antlers extending from either side.  
  
She carefully placed it atop her head, wrapped her long Ravenclaw scarf around her neck and throwing the trailing ends behind her back. She grabbed her bag and looked at Harry. He was looking back at her, trying hard not to stare at the preposterous hat.  
  
"Well, come on," she said, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the large doors, which were open awaiting the influx of morning students.  
  
As they reached the outer hall they nearly ran into Parvati and Lavender, who were on their way down for breakfast. They both ogled Luna's hat and burst out laughing, walking around them into the Great Hall.  
  
"Go ahead and laugh!" Luna called back hotly after them. "Your hair would look like that too if you hadn't slept all night!" she cast them a withering look as they kept glancing back and giggling.  
  
"Uh..." said Harry, "You know, I think they were really laugh - "  
  
Luna turned around, staring at him innocently, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she'd been the subject of their ridicule, instead of Harry's mussed hair.  
  
The sight of her wide, childlike silver eyes made him think better of it. "Um...nothing...anyway, wait right here, I'll be right back." He ran down the hall to the Gryffindor tower, returning a few minutes later with his coat (and slightly less mussed hair) to find Luna waiting for him patiently, dreamily twisting a long lock of sandy-coloured hair between her fingers.  
  
"Okay," said Harry, "Lead the way."  
  
She led them out into the courtyard, Harry noting with relief that it wasn't a particularly cold day, especially considering it was so early in the morning. He quickly decided that was fortunate, as he had no idea how far Luna was likely taking him. He was starting to get very curious as to what she was taking him to see...it can't be Snorkacks, he thought, she'd be telling everybody in the school by now.  
  
They exited the main gatehouse, Harry spying a trail of smoke rising lazily from the chimney of Hagrid's snow-covered hut. The gamekeeper himself wasn't outside, saving Harry from having to explain why he was going for a stroll in the Forbidden Forest, as it now seemed that was where Luna was heading.  
  
He glanced around, hoping no one was watching them, as Luna's reindeer hat would be a dead giveaway even at a considerable distance.  
  
"Er, Luna," he said as she turned to look at him, keeping her pace steady, "Are you sure it's safe? I mean the last time we came in here - "  
  
"Yes," she said simply. "Oh don't worry, the spiders don't come out in winter, you know."  
  
Harry noticed that the snow cover was very light in the forest, the mass of twisting branches overhead sufficing to reduce the amount of snow that reached the ground. The woods were strangely silent, though Harry supposed that was because most of its natural denizens had either migrated for the winder or were in quiet hibernation.  
  
They walked on for about half an hour, Harry managing to step on seemingly every broken twig and branch on the forest floor, while Luna somehow managed to glide through it all virtually silently, her footsteps barely audible. Harry wondered how she could remember this route, as there was no trail here to follow, with no obvious landmarks to help guide them. But she strolled on resolutely, showing no signs of uncertainty or hesitation. Indeed, she had a spring in her step that filled him with confidence. They continued on for a while longer, until they came to the trailing edge of a small valley that was almost totally devoid of snow. Indeed, even the temperature here seemed noticeably warmer.  
  
Luna came to a sudden halt. Harry tensed, thinking she'd seen something.  
  
She turned to him. "Okay, Harry, close your eyes," she whispered. "It won't be much further."  
  
Harry hesitated. "Uh..."  
  
She shook her head briskly, her long mane of dirty blonde hair whipping about, though somehow her hat kept steady. "I promised them I'd never show anyone how to get here," she whispered. "This way I keep my word."  
  
Harry nodded, hesitating a few moments before finally closing his eyes. He wondered who it was she'd promised, but figured it was useless to ask ; he'd find out soon enough for himself anyway. He felt Luna hand take his hand in hers, slowly guiding him down the gently sloping ground.  
  
The ground here was mossy in places, making it slightly slippery but also helped to quiet his footsteps. They continued walking for several minutes more, Harry sensing the slope of the ground levelling out, informing him they were at the bottom of the shallow valley.  
  
They continued for a short time, walking very slowly, until he felt Luna stop. He felt her crouch down beside him, tugging on his hand, which he took to mean he was to do the same. He dropped quietly down next to her, feeling his knees rub up against what he assumed was a large fallen tree in front of him.  
  
"Okay, Harry," she whispered very quietly in his ear, "Open your eyes..."  
  
Harry did, blinking a few times to get them adjusted to the brightness. Then he saw them, right ahead.  
  
"Oh my God..." 


	18. Luna's Year, Part XVIII

The sight before them was enough to make Harry's jaw drop involuntarily. As he'd surmised a moment before while his eyes were still closed, he was crouched down behind a large, moss-covered oak tree. But it was the scene beyond it which drew his attention.  
  
A small, idyllic forest glade lay before them, not much larger than Hogwarts' main courtyard by his reckoning. A small trickling stream flowed vaguely parallel to the fallen oak they were hiding behind, small stands of cattails dotted along its meandering course. The grass here was a midsummer's shade of green, in apparent defiance of the seasons, sprinkled throughout by an endless variety of colorful flowers, a great many of which were quite inexplicably in full bloom. Harry detected what appeared to be drifting white tufts of dandelion hair, sparkling in the sun's morning rays that trickled through the forest canopy above to the flowers below. Here the forest had renounced its eerie silence, the melodic singing of thrushes, the twittering of sparrows, and various other birds that Harry couldn't recognize, along with the familiar high-pitched chirping of red squirrels filling the air. The temperature here was warm enough that he felt slightly uncomfortable in his winter coat. It all seemed like an impossibly utopian setting, made even more unbelievable considering that winter was at its peak.  
  
And yet, all this was quite trivial in relation to the object of Harry's gaze. He rubbed his eyes, scarcely believing the picture painted before him. Putting his glasses back on, he stared again at the scene before him. He definitely wasn't imagining things, he decided. They were there, and they were real.  
  
"They're...are they really..."  
  
"Yes," Luna whispered back, her voice noticeably mirthful, "They're Asparas..."  
  
"Uh..." murmured Harry, transfixed by the sight before him.  
  
"Moon Fairies," explained Luna in a low voice.  
  
Harry found himself holding his breath, forcing himself to exhale and breathe normally again. No, they were definitely there...certainly no bigger than doxies, it seemed to him, though considerably more beautiful in appearance. All had partly translucent wings, reminiscent of a butterfly's, and they varied in color considerably, the entire gamut of the rainbow represented in spectacular fashion. Though he was aware of the presence of Cornish Pixies in the forest, having seen some in Gilderoy Lockhart's Dark Arts class during his second year, never in his wildest imaginings would he have thought that such beautiful creatures could be inhabiting the depths of the Forbidden Forest as well. This species of forest sprite was the stuff of legend, as they'd supposedly vanished from both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds centuries before. They were hypnotically beautiful, not at all like the ugly, aggressive pixies of Harry's recollection.  
  
They were fluttering about the meadow, some playing what appeared to be a fairy version of tag, others lying lazily about on the leaves of cattails, still others busily chasing a slightly harried starling round the trees.  
  
"Luna," whispered Harry, entranced by the sight before him, "I thought these didn't exist anymore; how can this - "  
  
She turned to look at him, eyes wide with excitement. "You don't have to wonder how, Harry," she whispered. "They are here, that's what really matters...just believe..."  
  
She was smiling at him, and at this close proximity her large, pale silvery eyes were strangely mesmerizing...and for a moment Harry found himself unable to look anywhere else.  
  
Wow...  
  
"They're pretty, aren't they?" she asked.  
  
He was staring, quite transfixed, into her eyes of quicksilver...it took a few seconds for the question to register, his thoughts being rather preoccupied...did she mean...  
  
"Uh...what are?" he finally managed to blurt out.  
  
Luna blinked, the first time she'd done so during his prolonged staring. "The fairies, Harry," she said, turning back to the tiny creatures frolicking before them, the tip of one of her reindeer antlers nearly knocking off Harry's eyeglasses in the process. "They're really quite extraordinary..."  
  
He slowly tore his gaze away from Luna and looked back at the fairies, caught between the wonderment at the scene before him and the strange feeling he'd just experienced while transfixed by Luna's gaze. He found himself adjusting his glasses unconsciously, trying to concentrate on the woodland beings just ahead. Just then the harried starling finally lost patience and turned on his pursuers, who quickly scattered merrily in all directions, leaving the bird with too many options so that it flew indecisively in a circle until finally perching itself in a branch closer to the treetops.  
  
Luna turned back to him. "What did you think I was talking about, anyway?" she asked curiously, her expression a mix of amusement and mystification.  
  
"Er...um...I wasn't sure," said Harry truthfully. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to explain it to Luna, as he was at something of a loss himself to understand what it was he'd just felt...  
  
She looked at him strangely, a slight frown mixing in with a slight smile. Finally she turned her gaze down to the bag she'd brought along.  
  
"Well," she said, "I should go bring these..."  
  
"What are they for, anyway?" asked Harry as Luna pulled opened the drawstring, revealing the bundle of nut-filled woolen socks she'd put together that morning.  
  
She looked up at him. "Well, the fairies are quite partial to butternuts, you know," she said dreamily, "So I bring these every Christmas...the acorns are for the squirrels of course, and then the birds use the wool in the socks for their nests. It's really quite enjoyable making these when you know it all goes to good use."  
  
"You've been doing this for a while," observed Harry as he watched her preparing her little gift socks. He found himself thinking back to his first years at Hogwarts, suddenly regretting that he'd never gotten to know the young Ravenclaw until recently; he wondered how he'd never noticed her before, while trying to imagine how differently his life might have unfolded if he'd had the benefit of her friendship all this time. He silently kicked himself for having missed the Sorting ceremony during his second term, when he and Ron had been busily crashing Mr. Weasley's Flying Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow. The Sorting Hat's reaction to someone so unconventional would have been something to see, he was sure.  
  
"Yes," she said, in answer to his voiced observation, "Since my first year here, actually. I came across this place quite by accident one night on Hallowe'en. You should have seen them, Harry...in the moonlight they take on this mystical glow that really captivates one's imagination. I'll bring you back here to see for yourself one night, if you like. Anyway," she said, shifting back onto her haunches, "Wait here, Harry, it's best not to startle them."  
  
"Uh...okay," said Harry, as she took the bag and stood up smoothly, climbing over the fallen oak and drifting over to the stream. The fairies' reaction upon seeing Luna was immediate - they all quickly flew over to her, spinning round in circles and fluttering excitedly, Luna giggling happily as she sat down gracefully among the flowers.  
  
"I know, I know," she said merrily, "I missed you too."  
  
Harry listened attentively. He hadn't heard the fairies say anything that he could define as speech. The only detectable sounds being a high-pitched, chime-like twittering that seemed unlike any language he'd ever heard, though Luna seemed perfectly able to make sense of it.  
  
She crossed her legs and opened her bag, handing out the little woolen socks to the fairies as they flew wildly around her. "Yes, I know, I'm sorry," she said mirthfully. "I would have been here earlier, but I was spending Christmas with friends, you know - oh, well thank you, Esmy, that's so sweet of you to say!"  
  
Harry saw one fairy in a tug of war with one of its brethren, apparently trying to take one of the little socks for itself.  
  
"You have to share, Galfryd!" Luna called up, Harry seeing the dark blue fairy reluctantly abandon its attempt to snatch the other's sock.  
  
Harry looked at the scene before him in astonishment. The sight of Luna sitting amidst a group of gleefully playful Moon Fairies in a midsummer- like meadow and bathed in the morning's glowing rays, seemed almost surreal...almost like, well, a fairytale, he thought to himself. And yet he had no doubt he was wide awake, and there was too much detail for it to be a hallucination. As he gazed at Luna's playful interaction with the fairies for awhile, he found himself wondering how Ron and Hermione would ever believe him.  
  
Eventually Luna finished distributing the rest of her tiny presents, gazing up serenely at the frolicking fairies for a while. A strikingly violet one had taken to playing with long locks of Luna's hair, weaving it back and forth playfully down her back.  
  
"No knots, Elspeth," warned Luna lightheartedly. "I have Bollywoggles at home for that, thank you."  
  
This interaction continued for some minutes, until Luna looked over at Harry and smiled.  
  
"Everyone," she called out to the fairies, who immediately slowed their frenetic activity to listen, "I'd like you to meet someone I brought with me, he - oh don't worry, Effric, he kept his eyes closed," she said as a bright yellow fairy had quickly flown down to within inches from her face, chiming loudly.  
  
"Yes, I know," she said soothingly, "Don't worry, no one will know..."  
  
The fairy still chimed, though somewhat less heatedly than before. "No, of course he won't," said Luna softly, turning to look at Harry. "You won't tell anyone, will you, Harry?"  
  
Harry hesitated. Was he supposed to reveal himself now? The fact that she'd spoken openly to him seemed to indicate so. He slowly rose from behind the log, the fairies now completely abandoning their previous activities and stared at him, seemingly transfixed at his appearance.  
  
"Er...no," he said hesitatingly, "I won't tell. Ever."  
  
"There, see?" said Luna, addressing the yellow fairy hovering before her, "You can trust him. I promise."  
  
She turned back to look at Harry. "I believe him." Well that's that, Harry thought, at least I don't have to worry about how to convince Ron and Hermione anymore.  
  
Luna was looking at him expectantly, smiling slightly. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but standing behind the log no longer seemed necessary, the fairies now being well aware of his presence. He carefully climbed over it.  
  
And was quickly swarmed by a score of the tiny flying creatures, who'd suddenly taken to flying all around him in frenetic fashion.  
  
He froze. Some were flying so close that he could feel the beat of their tiny translucent wings on his face. He didn't think he was under attack, but they kept edging closer and closer to him, effectively immobilizing him; he didn't dare move, lest he accidentally hit one of them.  
  
"Uh..." he called out to Luna, "What should I do?!"  
  
"Run Harry, run!!!" yelled Luna.  
  
"What??!" exclaimed Harry, fumbling for his wand in his robes. This was an attack, then, after all!  
  
He scampered back, his attempt at jumping over the log backwards resulted in his snagging his foot on an old knot, his momentum jerking his boot loose. He tripped over the old oak and fell awkwardly over the other side, resulting in a rather undignified face plant in the damp grass.  
  
He quickly pushed himself up, spitting out bits of flowers as he hopped about one his one still clad foot, becoming distinctly aware of Luna's gleeful laughing behind him as he drew his snagged boot off the tree. Now suddenly free of his pursuers, he turned around to see the Ravenclaw sprawled out on her back, hands held across her midsection in uncontrollable merriment, the fairies twittering about happily. He had the distinct feeling he'd just been a victim of some devious tomfoolery perpetrated by the unlikeliest of accomplices. He pulled his boot from the old branch where it had snagged and drew it back onto his foot.  
  
Despite his embarassment and mouthful of greenery, he didn't feel any animosity towards the co-conspirators as he re-laced his boot and walked over to Luna.  
  
She gazed up at him, her silver eyes swimming in tears of mirth, pausing her laughter just long enough to point a shaking hand up at him.  
  
"You...looked...petrified!" she said breathlessly.  
  
He smiled sheepishly. He supposed that, immobile as he was with his arms held stiffly at his sides, eyes wide with confusion, he might well have looked rather aghast.  
  
He dropped down to the ground beside Luna. The fairies were observing him with curious interest, but at least were no longer buzzing uncomfortably close.  
  
"Yeah, well," he said, chuckling. "It's not every day I get swarmed by a bunch of fairies."  
  
Luna continued to giggle for awhile. Finally Harry just lay down in the grass next to her, staring up at the midmorning sky above. Her laughter was infectious; even though he'd been the victim of a prank, normally something which riled his temper, he found himself laughing quietly along with her.  
  
Luna was still a bit giddy when she turned to look at Harry through the grass. "You should have seen yourself," she said happily.  
  
"I'm kinda glad I didn't," he said. "That was embarrassing, getting chased around by a bunch of fairies. It's a good thing none of the others were here, I'd never live it down."  
  
She turned back to gaze at the sky, a dreamy smile still on her face. "That was funny..." she said, giggling.  
  
"Did that happen to you," asked Harry, "Your first time?"  
  
"Oh yes," said Luna merrily. "They're quite curious about people, you know."  
  
"I'd figure it'd be the other way around," he said, staring up at the astonishing sight of the reveling forest sprites flying to and fro above him. "I mean, people are everywhere, but these..."  
  
"Well, they haven't seen very many people here, I suppose," said Luna thoughtfully.  
  
"I guess that's true," said Harry. "Hey, how come this place is so warm? It's like summer here..."  
  
"Oh, well the fairies do that," said Luna. "They're really quite good with magic, you know. They don't like the cold very much. This - " she waved her hand in the air all around them, " - is where they stay for the winter. It's nice, isn't it?"  
  
Harry now understood why Luna often wandered into the Forbidden Forest after dark...at night, the peaceful meadow must seem even more magical.  
  
"How come you can talk to them?"  
  
"Oh...well..." said Luna, "Mum taught me the basics, years ago. I could get by well enough at first, but I've gotten rather good with practice now...they grasp English perfectly well, so it's just a matter of understanding them, really."  
  
Harry suddenly remembered what Dumbledore had told him, about Luna's mother...  
  
"Luna," he said slowly, "What...was your mother like?"  
  
Several moments of silence passed, until Harry was beginning to wonder if she'd heard him; either that, or perhaps she didn't want to talk about it. Had he somehow hit a nerve? It hardly seemed possible -  
  
He was about to change the subject when he heard Luna stir next to him in the grass.  
  
He looked over. She was sitting up, legs crossed, her reindeer hat on the ground next to her. She was staring down at him, her countenance clear and earnest.  
  
"You would have liked her," she said. "She was really quite gifted, you know. She was rather good with ancient magic especially. She could do things that aren't taught in school or in books, which I supposed helped with her line of work at the Ministry. Daddy often tried to get her to slow down, but she enjoyed her job so much, and she was rather inquisitive by nature...I think I got my curiosity from her, actually," she mused thoughtfully. "She was always showing me old artifacts she'd bring home from work, we'd have so much fun doing the research together. Sometimes she'd write articles for The Quibbler too, especially when it was just starting out and Daddy needed some contributors. Actually, she won an award once for an article she wrote about the significance of the Moon's phases and their properties in ancient magic - "  
  
Harry had rarely seen Luna so lively. Her usual dreaminess had vanished, and she seemed genuinely happy to be able to talk about a subject which he knew must be close to her heart.  
  
"When I was little, she would take me for long walks in the in the forest near our place," she continued. "She'd show me all kinds of things that you'd never really notice were there, it's how I learned there's something worth discovering in even the most run-of-the-mill things. She saw the beauty in everything, Harry. I think that comes from her Gran, actually, though I never met her unfortunately..."  
  
Luna looked thoughtful for a moment. "It...was really hard on Daddy when Mum died," she said softly. "For the first couple of years he just buried himself in his work, really. I felt very sad seeing him like that, but I finally got him back..."  
  
Harry pushed himself up to a sitting position. He'd been of the impression that Luna had been a pillar of strength for her father during those difficult times; her protectiveness of him was always very apparent whenever anyone dared ridicule his magazine.  
  
"Do you still think about her a lot?"  
  
"Oh yes," she said. "I still get very sad when I think about it sometimes. That's when I come here," she waved her hand at the fairies fluttering throughout the meadow.  
  
"Does it get any easier? Through the years, I mean?" he asked.  
  
She stared at him, her silver eyes regarding him sadly. She opened her mouth to speak and closed it again, Harry quickly regretting having asked the question. "I'm sorry, Luna," he said, "I didn't mean to - "  
  
"No, it's all right," she said. "I suppose it should get easier, shouldn't it? But really, I still miss her terribly sometimes. I wish I could give you a better answer, Harry..."  
  
Harry blinked. "How do you mean?"  
  
"Well, I know you miss your Godfather," said Luna. "You were hoping to go live with him, weren't you? Hermione told me."  
  
"Uh, yeah," said Harry softly. "There was a time last year when I thought I was going to be expelled from school. I really didn't want to go live with the Dursleys full time."  
  
Luna nodded sagely. "I wish I could say it gets easier, really..."  
  
Harry felt his heart go out to her. Here she was, having been made to recall her mother's death yet still she was trying to help Harry deal with his own loss...  
  
"But you know, when I feel sad, I think of something Mum told me once," she said, " 'Death isn't a period, but a comma in the story of life'. And I really do believe that, Harry," she said, smiling. "I will see her again, someday. Remember the Veil? She was right there, just behind..."  
  
Harry smiled back at her. Her faith in her beliefs seemed unshakable, no matter how outrageous they might seem to the skeptics. And yet, over the last several weeks he'd seen a few of her outlandish theories be proven right, much to his astonishment.  
  
He found himself taking heart in that. If Luna could put her so much blind faith in such things, well then, where was the harm? Perhaps that was how she always managed to deal so well with the many pitfalls in her life.  
  
"Who's Grawp?" asked Luna out of the blue, head tilted in curiosity.  
  
"Huh?" said Harry, taken aback at the sudden change in topic.  
  
"Grawp," she repeated. "Last year, remember? Just after we got away from that Umbridge lady. You said that someone called Grawp chased the centaurs off. Ronald mentioned he was Professor Hagrid's little brother. Is he in school?"  
  
Harry blinked. "Oh!" he said finally, his memory belatedly returning. "Yeah, uh, no, he doesn't go to school. He's um...well, he's kind of a giant."  
  
Luna's eyes widened with excitement. "A giant!"  
  
"You have to keep that to yourself though," he said. "I don't think anyone's supposed to know."  
  
"What kind of giant?" asked Luna eagerly. "I've never seen one before, can we go see?"  
  
Harry thought for a moment. Hagrid hadn't mentioned Grawp at all since beginning of term, now that Harry thought about it.  
  
"Um, I think we'd better check with Hagrid, first," said Harry. "I'm not sure where exactly Grawp is right now. Haven't you run into him in the forest yet?" he asked, "He's sixteen feet tall, it's not like you can miss him!"  
  
"I haven't," said Luna, shaking her head. "But I'd really like to - after you've checked with Professor Hagrid, though.  
  
Harry chuckled. Although Hagrid was indeed the teacher of Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts, he still found it strange when someone referred to him as 'Professor'. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he'd been on a first-name basis with the Gamekeeper since the moment they'd met.  
  
Luna titled her head slightly as she gazed at him. "Do you remember anything about your parents?"  
  
Harry was startled at how she could so easily switch from one subject to another and then back again in a heartbeat, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.  
  
"Uh...no, not really," said Harry. "I was only a year old, I don't really remember anything."  
  
"No," said Luna pensively. "No, I don't suppose you would."  
  
They sat there for awhile, neither one saying anything, watching the fairies playing and frolicking around them. The terrible weight of responsibility on Harry's shoulders had lessened considerably. Here, there seemed to be no worries. The world outside held no meaning here. So long as he remained, the darkness could not reach him; the tiger had no teeth. After a while, Luna turned to Harry, giving him an inquisitive look. "How are you feeling, Harry?"  
  
Harry blinked. He suddenly remembered what she'd said back in the Great Hall, how it would 'do him good' if he came here; how right she had been; though he didn't know if it was due so much to the place, as to present company.  
  
Harry spent the rest of the morning talking to Luna about his life before Hogwarts, living at the Dursleys, through his first five years at Hogwarts, telling her about his triumphs, his failures, what had made him happy, and what had caused him sadness. He told her everything that took place the day he and Cedric had fallen into Voldemort's trap, after the Triwizard Tournament. About how angry he'd been with Dumbledore when they'd come back from the Department of Mysteries last year...  
  
Through it all, Luna listened quietly, never speaking, her unblinking silver eyes staring empathically back at him...  
  
* * *  
  
"Are you well?" asked Hermione and ogling Ron as they walked down the staircase towards the Great Hall. "You know I'm not very good on a broom, and besides, why do you want to practice at this time of year? Quidditch season doesn't start up again for another two months. We'd freeze!"  
  
"No we wouldn't," countered Ron. "It's not that cold out today."  
  
"No, Ron," said Hermione firmly. "If you're that determined, why don't you just wait till Harry gets back?"  
  
"I don't know when that'll be!" he said, exasperated. "Who knows where Loon- er, Luna took him? He might not be back till this afternoon for all we know."  
  
They stepped out into the main hallway, eyeing the flood of students pouring into the Great Hall for lunch.  
  
"Well, why not ask Ginny then? She's on the team, after all." suggested Hermione.  
  
"I did, right this morning," he said. "She thinks I'm nutters, too."  
  
"Well, I don't think you'll find anyone to go until it gets nicer out, Ron," said Hermione. "Besides, at least it gives you more time to devote to your studies; you should take advantage of that."  
  
"Oh, yeah, right," said Ron, rolling his eyes. "That's what I'll do...become a bookworm all bloody winter long."  
  
Hermione whacked him across the side of the head with a roll of parchment. "Knock it off," she said defensively. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a bookworm, I'll have you know."  
  
"Maybe not for you," said Ron. "But it's not for us normal folk, you know that."  
  
Hermione sighed. Although she did study more than most, she still despaired to think that Ron never really devoted more effort to his studies. He had the ability, rarely the motivation.  
  
They strolled into the Great Hall and took their seats at the Gryffindor table next to Ginny and Neville. They'd barely put their books under their seats when they saw Malfoy making a beeline for them, looking quite beside himself.  
  
"Oh great," said Ginny. "Git at eleven o'clock, everyone."  
  
"Who - " said Ron, turning around just in time to see Malfoy arrive right next to him. "I - oh, what do you want, Malfoy?"  
  
"Where's Potter?!" demanded the Slytherin angrily, ignoring Ron and addressing Hermione.  
  
Hermione looked up at him calmly. "He's unavailable at the moment," she said. "Perhaps I could pass on a message?"  
  
Malfoy pointed his finger threateningly at her. "Oh, you think you're smart, don't you, mudblood? Well I'll fix that - "  
  
"You watch your mouth, Malfoy!!" said Ron, jumping up from his seat.  
  
"Or you'll what, weasel?" sneered Malfoy.  
  
"How would you like to see the world form a ferret's perspective, git?" Ron threatened, his ears reddening dangerously as he fingered his wand in his robes.  
  
"Like you could, weasel!" mocked Malfoy. "You can't even turn a rat into a goblet!"  
  
"Hey!" Ron huffed, "I got a new wand since that time, I'll have you know!"  
  
"Oh, where?" countered the Slytherin. "At Spell-Mart's Used Wand Emporium??"  
  
"Just try me and see!" Ron shot back.  
  
Malfoy glowered at him. "Don't think for a second I don't know what you did last night," he seethed. "If you got me in trouble with - " he stopped mid sentence, catching himself just in time.  
  
"Yes?" asked Hermione calmly. "You were saying? In trouble with who?"  
  
Malfoy glared at them. "Oh, you'll all get what's coming to you, soon enough!"  
  
"Yeah?" said Ron, "Why don't I just give you what's coming right now, you little - "  
  
Malfoy plunged his hand into his robes. "Good idea!" he said, "You rotten, filthy - "  
  
"Excuse me - "  
  
They all spun around to see Professor McGonagall standing just behind them, looking at them with a very stern expression.  
  
"Much as I hate to interrupt such stimulating conversation," she intoned dryly, "I don't believe that prefects threatening each other with bodily harm quite conveys the best message to the other students, now, does it?"  
  
Malfoy quickly withdrew his hand from his robes, though he continued to glare at Ron.  
  
"Uh, no, Professor," said Ron. "We were just...having a little discussion, that's all."  
  
"Oh, thank you for that information, Mr. Weasley," said McGonagall. "Coming to that conclusion was quite beyond me, especially as I could only guess from the yelling and shouting I heard from the end of the Hall!"  
  
"Er..." said Ron uncertainly, "Well he started it! He came here looking for trouble!"  
  
"I came here looking for Potter!" countered Malfoy. "You just didn't know any better than to keep your mouth shut!"  
  
"Oh yeah?" Ron said, his voice rising again, "Let's see - "  
  
"Silence!!" intoned McGonagall so severely that no one dared utter a word. "You are Hogwarts prefects, for Merlin's sake! You are charged with setting the example of civilized and acceptable behavior for your peers! This bickering will cease at once! Mr. Malfoy, return to the Slytherin table, posthaste!"  
  
Malfoy looked angry enough to spit fire but grudgingly returned to his seat without verbal protest.  
  
McGonagall turned to place herself between Ron and Malfoy's line of sight, so the Slytherin couldn't make out what she was telling him. "Mr. Weasley," she said forcefully, "I needn't remind you of the seriousness of last night's events. Please make at least an effort to avoid compounding the situation!"  
  
"But - " Ron began to protest, but the Transfiguration Professor's unyielding stare sufficed to stifle any argument. "Yes, Professor," he said sheepishly, dropping back heavily onto his seat. McGonagall stared at them all for a moment before making her way back to the High table.  
  
"What happened last night?" asked Ginny, intrigued. "Did you get into a fight with Malfoy?"  
  
"Er...no," said Hermione. "Well, we're not supposed to tell - oh, all right," she said, seeing Ginny and Neville's imploring gaze. She motioned them close, making sure no one around could overhear. "Now you can't tell this to anyone - remember that book Malfoy had with him in the library a few weeks ago?"  
  
Ginny and Neville both nodded.  
  
"Well, last night we found out - " 


	19. Luna's Year, part XIX

Harry spent that afternoon in better spirits than he'd been in all week, despite an afternoon of Divination and Potions classes which would normally be quite sufficient to take the wind from his sails.  
  
Today however, the constant bickering between Firenze and Trelawney hadn't dampened his mood, and even Snape's relentless chiding hadn't particularly stressed him. The talk he'd had that morning with Luna had somehow rejuvenated him; his words had come slowly and haltingly at first, but seeing her listen to him so earnestly had put him at ease. The words came more easily, until they were rushing forth in a torrent of expression and emotions that had been building up without release for five long years...and at the end, he was glad he'd told her everything, having given him at least some satisfaction that she now knew everything Ron and Hermione did.  
  
Their walk back to school had been just as enjoyable as their encounter with the fairies, Luna telling Harry little secrets like how the Patil twins had once switched identities so Parvati could get into the Ravenclaw Common Room to see Roger Davies (who she'd apparently had quite a crush on, according to Luna), or the time she'd gone on one of her late night walkabouts and had gone to the kitchen for a cup of hot chocolate only to find the Headmaster himself already there, evidently having experienced the exact same late night craving. His idea of punishment for her being out after curfew had been to recite at some length about his penchant for warm socks, and how these underappreciated and simple garments were actually quite critical in the overall scheme of things. Harry had grinned at the thought of the rather odd sight of Luna and Dumbledore having one of the more peculiar conversations in history, over cups of steaming hot chocolate in the middle of the night.  
  
"Check," said Ron, bringing Harry back to the present as he gleefully removed the debris of one of Harry's broken pawns.  
  
Harry blinked at the board. Once again, he hadn't anticipated Ron's move. He took some solace though, that the game had progressed longer than was tradition; at least he was putting up a good fight. He scanned the board intently for a possible countermove, determined to make a serious attempt at finally scoring an upset win, but his King was virtually surrounded by his own pieces and couldn't move in any direction except closer to Ron's Queen, which was hardly a playable option.  
  
"Shouldn't you two be working on Snape's assignment?" suggested Hermione from her plush divan near the fireplace, Crookshanks curled up lazily on her lap as she flipped through the latest edition of the Daily Prophet.  
  
"Nag nag nag...we don't have Potions tomorrow, remember?" countered Ron, watching Harry put his finger hesitatingly on a sacrificial bishop for a moment before withdrawing it.  
  
Hermione sighed. "Honestly, why must you always put your homework off to the very last moment? Haven't you both learned your lesson by now?"  
  
Harry glanced over the top of his glasses at Ron, who was having trouble suppressing a grin. They'd grown so accustomed to Hermione's scolding over the years that it almost seemed unconscionable to go through a single day without it. In fact, as Harry took in the quiet and relaxing sights and smells of the Gryffindor Common Room, his favourite abode for the last five and a half years, while playing his umpteenth chess match with Ron before the blazing hearth, Hermione's nagging combined to paint an almost nostalgic reminder of their first year at Hogwarts.  
  
Harry realized with a slight pang in his stomach that these quiet, comfortable moments with his friends were finite; in less than two years, they would no longer be calling this place home.  
  
"What are you two smiling about?" asked Hermione suspiciously from her seat, having caught their muted glances at each other.  
  
Ron looked back furtively at Harry, evidently thinking the same thing he was.  
  
"Don't ever change, Hermione," said Ron, grinning.  
  
"Oh...you two, honestly..." said Hermione in frustration, though Harry chanced a glance towards her out of the corner of his eye; her paper wasn't covering her face quite enough to obscure a failed attempt at suppressing her own smile.  
  
* * *  
  
"Out! Out!" barked Madam Pince, pointing towards the library door. "You said you'd be five minutes half an hour ago! Why I made an exception I'll never know - "  
  
Ginny threw Luna a look of resignation as she quickly gathered her books from the table. She knew they'd been pushing their luck, asking the librarian to stay for a few minutes longer beyond the usual closing time, especially considering they still had eighteen inches of blank parchment to fill out for their essay on the influence of the English Civil War on the wizarding world.  
  
They might have finished by now, if some accursed Ravenclaw hadn't jinxed an ink bottle to spill across Luna's notebook earlier; their attempts to scourgify the parchment couldn't determine between the spilled ink and the written words, and so they'd inadvertently wiped out most of the first page.  
  
She'd used that as an excuse to let them stay a little longer, though the librarian's patience had now obviously lapsed. They quickly scampered from the library, Madam Pince on their heels, closing the door firmly shut behind them once they were out in the hallway.  
  
"Well so much for that," sighed Ginny, silently cursing herself for having wasted her free time that morning by agreeing to help Colin design a new logo for the Hogwarts Express. "How are we going to finish this on time now?"  
  
Luna seemed utterly unperturbed. "Well, we still have lunch hour tomorrow, don't we?" she remarked, holding her notebook across her chest as she gazed at Ginny. "I'm sure we'll get it done."  
  
"We'd better," said Ginny as they slowly started back towards the two- tiered staircase at the end of the hall, the torches casting misshapen, flickering shadows of themselves on the walls as they walked. "Otherwise I'll really be kicking myself for putting it off."  
  
She consoled in the knowledge that Luna was in the same boat, surprising as it was. Despite her dreamy and absent-minded exterior demeanor, Luna nevertheless managed her schoolwork quite well. Ginny was glad Luna hadn't worked on it that morning, otherwise she would have spent the last two hours working by herself in the dreary library.  
  
At least I'm not as bad as Ron, she reasoned. Her brother had perfected the last minute submission into something of an art form over the years, often working with Harry in the Gryffindor Common Room until the wee hours of the morning. In truly desperate times, she knew Hermione would just let him plagiarize parts of her own work.  
  
"Never put off till tomorrow, what you can do the day after tomorrow," said Luna airily, as they neared the end of the corridor.  
  
"Eh, how's that?" asked Ginny, glimpsing a decidedly mischievous glint in her friend's eyes. She wondered if she'd somehow misunderstood; the wording seemed nonsensical.  
  
"Oh, it's something a Muggle author wrote once," said Luna vaguely. "It does seem to apply to us, doesn't it?"  
  
Ginny was unable to suppress a smile. It sure does, all to well, she thought. Leave it to Luna to think up these things...  
  
They were descending the staircase when Ginny belatedly noticed they were alone. She only then realized it was well past curfew, and proceeded to keep a careful watch for Filch and his mangy cat.  
  
"I don't know, Luna, I can't help it - I just can't get worked up for anything Binns assigns," she griped in frustration. "I swear it's all I can do just to stay awake in his class!" "Yes," agreed Luna thoughtfully, "He is rather dreary sometimes, isn't he?"  
  
"At least Snape keeps us on our toes," said Ginny. "Through terror, maybe, but at least we pay attention. I don't know which I hate most, History of Magic or Potions - "  
  
"Well, I much prefer Professor Binns," said Luna dreamily as they emerged into the deserted main hall. "He's never called Daddy's paper a rag."  
  
Ginny vividly recalled the incident in Potions class early that semester. Luna had been positively furious with Snape that day, so much so that the scene had imprinted itself in Ginny's memory.  
  
"Hey, isn't he back yet? Your Dad, I mean?" asked Ginny, recalling his trip to Bavaria during the holidays.  
  
"No," said Luna, "I sent off Nevermore a few days ago to see how he's getting on, you know, but I haven't heard back yet. It is rather far though, so that's to be expected, really."  
  
Although Luna seemed perfectly serene, Ginny thought she detected the tiniest hint of worry in her friend's voice.  
  
"Well, I'm sure he's fine," said Ginny reassuringly, a moment before suddenly realizing she was walking by herself. She stopped and peered back curiously at Luna, who was staring past her down the hall.  
  
Ginny quickly spun around and looked in the same direction apprehensively, fully expecting to see Filch or Mrs. Norris approaching.  
  
Instead, the deserted hall presented nothing out of the ordinary. She walked back to her Ravenclaw companion.  
  
"You okay?" she asked, getting no reaction. "You-hoo...Earth to Luna - "  
  
Luna was staring very intently down the corridor. "Who is that man?" she asked quietly. "I've never seen him before; I don't think he works at the school."  
  
Ginny snapped around, alarmed. She blinked repeatedly, staring hard at the shadows in case someone was lurking therein, but after several moments she was satisfied there was definitely no one in sight.  
  
"What man?"  
  
"Oh, come on," said Luna, taking Ginny's hand in hers and pointing it down the empty hall. "Right there, see?" Ginny began to wonder if Luna might be hallucinating. "Luna, are you okay? I mean, are you feeling - "  
  
"Yes, really," insisted Luna. "Well, I suppose you can't see him, he's going down the staircase now..."  
  
Ginny glanced back down the hall. The only moving thing she could see near the staircase was a tiny form which she quickly identified as a mouse or rat, moving along the wall before quickly disappearing down the stairs. She looked back at Luna.  
  
"It's a mouse, Luna," said Ginny. "I can't believe you mistook that for a person! Goodness, for someone with such big eyes I'd have thought - "  
  
"It was a man," said Luna with such conviction that Ginny couldn't help glancing back towards the staircase. "Something was rather odd about him."  
  
Ginny sighed, deciding to indulge her. "Okay, can you describe the culprit?"  
  
"Oh, well, he was rather portly," said Luna, her gaze still fixed on the stairs that led to the lower level.  
  
"You mean fat," giggled Ginny.  
  
"One of his hands was quite peculiar," continued Luna. "Almost as though it was made of silver, I suppose."  
  
Ginny gasped out loud, a chill shooting down her spine. She covered her mouth in shock, her eyes wide with a sickening realization. "That's...no it can't be..."  
  
Luna turned and looked at her inquisitively. "Who can't it be?"  
  
Ginny reached out and grabbed Luna's wrist. "Luna...are...are you absolutely sure that's what you saw? Please tell me you're joking!"  
  
Her Ravenclaw friend regarded her earnestly, her large silver eyes devoid of their usual mistiness. "Yes, that's truly what I saw. I'm sorry I wasn't jesting though, you seem rather upset - "  
  
Ginny stared at her friend for a few moments longer in a futile hope she'd blurt out that she'd been kidding all along. She finally released her hold on Luna's wrist when it became obvious no such outburst was forthcoming, suddenly realizing her grip had tightened painfully, her knuckles white with strain. Her stomach was tightening itself into knots.  
  
"We have to get Harry," said Ginny nervously, "Or Dumbledore...I can't believe this..." "Ginny?" asked Luna asked, "What's wrong?"  
  
Ginny swallowed hard. "I think that was Wormtail," said Ginny dispiritedly. "At least, it sounded just like him, from what Ron told me."  
  
Luna's looked thoughtful. "I know who that is," she said vaguely. "Harry told me about him just this morning. He betrayed Harry's parents, you know...come on," she said, making a beeline for the staircase.  
  
"Come on? Where - Luna, wait!" said Ginny, catching up to her. "Where are you going? We should go warn someone, this is dangerous! If he sees us - "  
  
"He's already seen us," said Luna matter-of-factly. "But he doesn't think we can see him."  
  
"Well, we can't!" exclaimed Ginny, "...can we?"  
  
"Well, you can still see him as a rat, can't you? Here..." Luna pulling her wand out from its resting place behind her ear, tapping Ginny lightly on top of the head.  
  
" 'Occulo praestigiae'," she said, as Ginny felt the trickling warmth of the disillusionment charm run down her body to her feet. Luna then cast the charm on herself, quickly becoming a vague, faint outline to Ginny's eyes.  
  
"Oh, dang it! Fine then," said Ginny. "If we get killed I'm never going to let you live it down!"  
  
They took off running for the staircase.  
  
"Well, we wouldn't need to worry about tomorrow's assignment in that case," said Luna dreamily.  
  
They scampered down the staircase to the lower level as quickly and quietly as they could, a few times bumping into each other as Ginny had difficulty gauging the distance between them in their camouflaged state.  
  
Ginny turned the corner, feeling an arm blocking her way. "There," whispered Luna, barely audibly. "About halfway down the hall...see?"  
  
Ginny strained her eyes, seeking out a tiny form along the walls, but couldn't make out anything in the dark shadows. She wondered how Luna could be seeing Wormtail in human form when she couldn't. He was clearly in his animagus form, wasn't he?  
  
The only light in the area was provided by two faintly glowing torches on the wall to either side of the painting that masked the entrance to the kitchen. "I can't see...what's he doing?" she whispered.  
  
"He's just going on," Luna breezed back. "He just turned the other corner."  
  
They shuffled quietly down the hallway, rounding the corner and pausing for a moment to make sure they hadn't been detected. This corridor was better lit than the first, and Ginny could see the tiny form of a rat disappear under a doorsill up ahead.  
  
"He's in that room," whispered Luna, pointing unnecessarily as Ginny could hardly see her.  
  
"Yeah, I saw," said Ginny. They slunk quietly to the black, heavy oak door. Ginny recognized it as the entrance to Snape's office, which adjoined the main Potions classroom a bit further up the hall.  
  
Ginny's hand moved hesitantly to the handle for a moment, before lowering it to her side after considering the risks. Given the old, creaky nature of most of the doors in Hogwarts, it was highly unlikely they'd be able to open it quietly.  
  
"Well, we can't lock him in there," she whispered. "He'd could just crawl out under the sill again, couldn't he?"  
  
She barely made out Luna's form sidling up to the door, trying to listen.  
  
"Hear anything?" whispered Ginny, moving up to the door and doing likewise.  
  
"No..." replied Luna. "Oh wait...yes..."  
  
Ginny pressed her ear tight against the blackened wood. The voice was very faint. Someone was speaking at some distance from the door, but it clearly wasn't a voice she recognized; she assumed it belonged to Wormtail's.  
  
" - has betrayed us, therefore the Dark Lord wishes him dealt with immediately."  
  
There was a prolonged pause. Ginny wondered if he could be speaking to himself, or perhaps into one of those mysterious books Hermione had described.  
  
"What evidence do you have of this?" she heard a voice, unmistakably Snape's, shoot back drily.  
  
"Obviously he has given one of the books of teleportation to Potter," replied Wormtail. "Last night, he and several of his friends made a most inopportune appearance at Bodwin Moor. Not only has he put the Dark Lord's plans at risk, but Dumbledore is now very likely aware of his need for the wand."  
  
Ginny drew a sharp breath. From what Hermione had told her over lunch, the wand he was referring to could only be Luna's...which now resided just a few inches from her.  
  
"What plan?" asked Snape snidely. "I wasn't informed of this."  
  
"That's because your purpose here is to provide intelligence about Dumbledore's activities," countered Wormtail. "The flow of information only needs to go one way in order for you to fulfill your duty to the Dark Lord who, incidentally, instructs you to do everything in your power to retrieve the book and to eliminate the traitor Malfoy."  
  
Ginny gasped. Though she despised Draco, this was beyond anything she'd anticipated.  
  
"Brilliant plan," remarked Snape sarcastically. "Who do you think Dumbledore would suspect, fool? Are you forgetting that as head of Slytherin House, I am the only member of the staff who knows the password to Slytherin tower?"  
  
"Well, what would you have me do?" Wormtail shot back. "Lord Voldemort has commanded it. He'll surely know if we haven't carried it out!"  
  
"Does the Dark Lord wish to lose his eyes and ears within Hogwarts?" argued Snape, "Because that would surely be the outcome were I to carry out that order. And at any rate, I am not convinced that Malfoy has betrayed us as you claim. He despises Potter. I have no doubt whatsoever of this. Why would he knowingly do anything to aid him?"  
  
"This makes the second time that Potter and his friends have endangered our operations since Malfoy was brought into the fold. Whether deliberately, or through neglect or incompetence, he has clearly become a liability to our efforts. At any rate, the issue has been made irrelevant. It's not for us to second guess the Dark Lord," Wormtail replied. "Guilty or not, Lord Voldemort has stated his wishes very clearly in this matter."  
  
There was a brief pause, during which Ginny heard what sounded like stool legs squeaking, as though it had been dragged several feet along the stone floor.  
  
"While Malfoy is at Hogwarts, we dare not act," said Snape. "The only opportunity to eliminate him without arousing suspicion upon me would be at the next Hogsmeade weekend. You can have your people lie in wait for an opportunity there. I will ensure that I remain at school, hence I will not be implicated."  
  
There was another silence. "When is it scheduled?" asked Wormtail finally.  
  
Ginny heard the vague sounds of rustling papers. "On the second Wednesday in February," Snape replied.  
  
"That's a month off!" Wormtail said, "We daren't delay that long! His knowledge of the books of teleportation - "  
  
"Which he has already divulged to Potter, according to you," answered Snape. "Therefore the damage has already been done, has it not?"  
  
"I - yes, I suppose," agreed Wormtail reluctantly. "Very well, we'll wait until then, but not a day longer. Now I must be off; I have to pay a visit to the traitor's mother."  
  
"To what end?" asked Snape, a bit too quickly, Ginny thought.  
  
"Lord Voldemort has ordered that both be eliminated, of course," said Wormtail. "The traitor's mother may well be a danger to us all. Indeed, the Dark Lord has long suspected her lack of commitment; this will allow us to settle the matter."  
  
"I see," said Snape. "And what of Lucius?"  
  
"He can rot in Azkaban, as far as Lord Voldemort is concerned," replied Wormtail. "Actually, he regrets that the Dementors have left; it would have been a rather fitting end for him, don't you think? Well I must be going, I can't disapparate from here, I have to get to Hogsmeade before I can get to Malfoy Manor...curse that Dumbledore and his wards..."  
  
Ginny quickly backed away from the door, pulling Luna along with her. "Come on!" she whispered forcefully, "We've got to go tell Harry!"  
  
They ran up the stairs, no longer bothering to quieten their footsteps, and made their way to the Slytherin tower, Luna having convinced Ginny of the need to at least warn Malfoy beforehand. They came to the blank patch of stonework that concealed the Slytherin Common Room.  
  
" 'Mortalis Aspis' " said Luna. The stone wall stared stubbornly back at her, unmoving.  
  
"Er...are you sure this is the right spot?" asked Ginny. The bare wall here looked no more remarkable than the rest of the ancient stonework in the area.  
  
"Yes," said Luna, "They might have changed the password, I suppose."  
  
"We can send him a note!" exclaimed Ginny. "We're not far from the owlery here, come on!"  
  
They quickly made their way to the owlery tower, running up the spiral stone staircase, their footsteps echoing oddly as they passed a startled Mrs. Norris who had been slinking down in the opposite direction.  
  
They emerged into the large circular room, their feet making odd crunching noises as there was no way to avoid stepping on thousands of tiny bones from long-dead animals.  
  
"Pig!" Ginny called up. "Come down here, hurry! Oh, I hope he's not out hunting..."  
  
The tiny owl gave a familiar hoot as it quickly fluttered down to her and perched itself on one of the lower pegs sticking out from the wall, rotating his head back and forth, until Ginny realized he was looking for the source of her voice...they were still disillusioned!  
  
Ginny quickly drew her wand and dispelled the charms, at which moment Pigwidgeon flew happily down and perched on her shoulder. Luna had put her notebook up against the wall and began writing quickly, Ginny peering over over her shoulder.  
  
Draco Malfoy,  
  
There's very little time to explain, but you and your mother are in  
danger. Well, you're not, at least for the moment, but your mum is.  
Please let her know, that Wormtail fellow is on his way to your home  
right now, and he has some rather nefarious intentions.  
  
Luna Lovegood  
  
" 'Nefarious'?" asked Ginny.  
  
Luna turned around, tearing off the sheet from the pad and rolling it up carefully. "Oh, well, it was the first word that popped to mind...anyway, do you think he'll believe us?"  
  
"I don't know," said Ginny worriedly. "Hope so."  
  
Ginny noticed Luna's demeanour had altered from the usually dreamy and slightly dotty girl she was accustomed to seeing. Rather, she was now very alert and earnest. The last time Ginny had seen Luna like this was when they'd gotten separated from Harry's group in the Department of Mysteries the year before. She still recalled quite vividly, with her own ankle broken and Ron all but incoherent, how Luna had quietly taken charge of the situation, getting them safely through a group of hostile Death Eaters to rejoin Harry. At first Ginny had attributed it to dumb luck, but she now knew that Luna was capable of surprising determination when the situation warranted it. She took a measure of reassurance by the same quiet resoluteness now present in her friend.  
  
As they didn't have any ribbon to tie the note, Luna unrolled the paper and folded it until it was little more than a square inch in size, Ginny telling Pigwidgeon to carry it in his beak.  
  
"Take it to Draco Malfoy!" She called up after him as she threw him up in the air. "In the Slytherin Tower, wake him up if you have to!"  
  
They watched him flutter quickly up the tower until he disappeared through one of the open windows.  
  
"We'd better send one to his mom too, just to be sure." suggested Ginny.  
  
Luna nodded and quickly began writing another letter.  
  
Dear Mrs. Malfoy,  
  
I don't suppose you know me, but I go to Hogwarts School of Witch with  
your son Draco. Anyway I can't explain right now as time is pressing,  
but there is a fellow named Wormtail going to your house tonight, and  
I'm afraid he has some rather nef dreadful intentions.  
  
You aren't safe, please leave quickly and find a good hiding place  
somewhere. I've just owled your son, so hopefully he'll be able to  
help you better than I can.  
  
Luna Lovegood  
  
Luna held the paper close to her eyes, quickly scanning it. "I can hardly read the last few lines," she said. "I only had the ink that was left in the quill, you know..."  
  
"It's good enough, at least you didn't write 'nefarious' again," said Ginny, allowing herself a slight teasing smile. "We can't wait for Pig to get back, we'll have to use one of the school owls..."  
  
Luna nodded sagely, folding up the little piece of parchment as she had the first.  
  
"You there!" Ginny called out to a fast looking dark grey owl. "You! Yes, you, the grey one! Come down here, hurry!"  
  
The school owl (Ginny assumed it was; she doubted another student's personal owl would have obeyed) quickly fluttered down to her. She took Luna's folded note and told it to carry it in his beak, as she had with Pigwidgeon. She was preparing to throw it up in the air when Luna interrupted her.  
  
"Maybe you should tell it where it's going," suggested Luna.  
  
Ginny gaped at Luna once the words had sunk in. "I have no idea," she said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Do you know Malfoy's address?"  
  
Luna shook her head. Ginny's shoulders sagged. "Well, what now?" she asked. "We don't have time to go look it up - "  
  
Luna looked pensive for a moment before staring up at the owls above them. "Excuse me," she called up airily, "Are there any owls here who might know Draco Malfoy's home address? It's rather important."  
  
Ginny gazed up into the gloomy rafters high above them. A single faint hoot drifted down to them, the owl responsible being out of sight in the uppermost darkness. She pulled the note from the grey owl's beak and told it to never mind, as it lazily flew back up to its perch after giving her an irritated look.  
  
They waited. Aside from the single hoot, there was no sign that any owl had taken notice of Luna's request.  
  
"Dang it," said Ginny, "Where are you? The owl that just hooted!"  
  
They were greeted by continued stony silence and the stares of multitudes of gleaming yellow eyes.  
  
"Please," Luna called up, "It's very urgent."  
  
Finally they heard the lazy rustling of feathers up in the darkened rafters, finally seeing a huge owl drift down towards them. It was so large that Ginny flinched as it flew over her, coming to set itself on one of the lower perches above their heads.  
  
"Good lord, it's big," she remarked. It looked to be at least as large as Luna's raven. She'd seen the owl flying around the Great Hall on occasion when mail arrived, but had never paid any attention to whom it belonged.  
  
"It's an eagle owl," said Luna knowingly, taking the note from Ginny and reaching up on her tiptoes to show the folded parchment to the large bird. "This is very important, I really wouldn't bother you unless it was," she said. The owl was regarding her stoically, as though it had fulfilled its mission just by flying down to them.  
  
"Please," said Luna, stretching her arm out as high as it could go, waving the tiny paper under its beak, "It's for Mrs. Malfoy...she's in danger..."  
  
After several moments the owl finally hooted softly and reluctantly extended its leg.  
  
"I'm sorry," said Luna, "But I don't have a ribbon. This is all rather spur of the moment, you know...could you carry it in your beak, just this once? It's just a small note, really."  
  
The owl looked at her as though she was asking for the Moon, but Luna's insistence seemed to successfully convey the importance of the delivery as it abruptly snatched the note from her hand with its beak and gave a powerful thrust of its wings, rising quickly up the tower and out one of the lower exits.  
  
"I think that's all we can do, at least for now," said Ginny, breathing a sigh of relief. "We should go tell Harry straight away, though. Professor Dumbledore should know that Wormtail was here."  
  
Luna nodded sagely. As they turned to leave, the door to the owlery swung open violently, hitting the wall with a resounding bang, startling the large flock of birds overhead and revealing a terrifying silhouetted figure standing in the doorway, casting a long shadow on the bone-strewn floor.  
  
Ginny felt her blood turn cold at the sight before her.  
  
Oh no... 


	20. Luna's Year, Part XX

Ginny swallowed hard. This was the worst possible time...  
  
The silhouetted figure of Filch stood in the open doorway. He was gleefully ogling them, his crazed eyes combining with his cracked grin to make him appear borderline psychotic. Squib or no, Ginny could understand the fear he inspired in the students. The inly thing missing from his entrance was an ominous clap of thunder and some organ music, she thought. Though hardly timid, Ginny felt rather intimidated at the sight of him.  
  
"Hello," said Luna dreamily.  
  
"Err..." said Ginny, "We were..." she glanced at Luna, "...we were just..."  
  
"Oh, were ye, now?" said Filch, his scraggly eyebrows rising in mock surprise.  
  
"...just coming to..." Ginny thought furiously.  
  
"That the best ye can do?" exclaimed Filch. "Ye miscreants never even bothered to think o' a cover story, did ye?"  
  
"...we had some...er, urgent - "  
  
"You were right, my sweet," said Filch as he looked down at the gray feline at his side. Ginny could swear she was staring at them gloatingly. "Ye'll likely to be expelled for this, if there's any justice," Filch remarked malevolently, clearly relishing his moment of victory.  
  
"Expelled?!" exclaimed Ginny, her apprehension quickly giving way to outrage. "What in Merlin's Beard for? All we did - "  
  
" - was use magic in the halls, is what!" Filch shot back. "Not to mention bein' out past curfew!" He pointed a gnarled finger at Luna. "Makes the second time fer ye this semester, missy. Yer as good as gone, I'd reckon."  
  
"What magic??" retorted Ginny, her ire growing by the second. "What makes you think we'd - "  
  
"Don't ye play dumb with me, ye lil' spinster!" spat Filch. "Ye were usin' a disillusionment charm! Thought ye'd get by Mrs. Norris, didn't ye? Well she heard ye, all the same!"  
  
Ginny's mouth opened, though she was at a loss of how to get out of this predicament. They had to warn Harry, or at least get word out to someone about Wormtail. She glanced pleadingly at Luna, hoping for some help, but her friend was serenely staring at Filch as though he were Professor Binns in the midst of one of his droning lectures. "Look, we don't have time for this," said Ginny impatiently. "We have to go see Professor Dumbledore - "  
  
"Ye don' have time??" barked Filch, his eyes widening angrily. "Well, methinks ye'd better - "  
  
"Why do you wish to see the Headmaster?" a cold voice uttered from behind Filch, who spun around to reveal Professor Snape standing just beyond the doorway. He was gazing at them icily, though Ginny thought she glimpsed an air of uncertainty in his eyes.  
  
"...er...we..." said Ginny, mindful of the presence of the Caretaker and still hoping to somehow wiggle off the hook if she could only come up with a convincing argument.  
  
"We were sending owls to the Malfoys, actually," Luna chimed in suddenly, "You know, to warn then about that Worm - "  
  
"SILENCE!" yelled Snape so abruptly that Mrs. Norris jumped from the doorway and hissed at him as he advanced quickly into the tower, his boots making distinct crunching noises over the debris-strewn floor, his black robes billowing behind him.  
  
"Aha! See??" said Filch triumphantly, "Yer excuses ain't goin' to cut it this time, I'll wager!"  
  
Luna continued to stare at Snape, not giving any indication she'd heard Filch at all. "Well, that was rather rude," she said.  
  
"Mind your tongue!" said Snape, glaring at her with such intensity that Ginny thought he might cast a Silencio charm on her.  
  
"They couldn't even come up with an excuse when I caught 'em red-handed," Filch remarked to Snape. "And that loony kid there, that's her second time out past curfew this semester! AND they were castin' disillusionment charms in the halls!"  
  
"Red-handed?" asked Snape, turning to the Caretaker. "What exactly were they doing?"  
  
"They - eh..." said Filch, suddenly turning back to the two girls, evidently realizing he hadn't caught them doing anything, other than simply being here.  
  
"We were creating a diversion," said Luna dreamily, "For the others, you know."  
  
"Eh?" Filch said, his eyes suddenly widening. "What's that?"  
  
"A diversion," replied Luna sagely, distractedly twisting a long, stray lock of hair between her fingers, "It's to distract someone while something else is - "  
  
"Blimey!" barked Filch, "I know what it means! For what others? Speak now, missy!"  
  
"Well I'm not really supposed to say, you know," said Luna vaguely, before abruptly taking to gazing up at the owls overhead, who were by now quite awake and staring back down at the unlikely quartet in silent curiosity.  
  
"Spill ye guts, ye kook!" ordered Filch, turning to Ginny when he saw Luna didn't seem inclined to volunteer any further information. Ginny decided to take a page from Luna's rather quirky book and started staring up at the owls as well, feeling decidedly ludicrous...  
  
"Bleedin' bludgers!!" bellowed Filch, "Tell me now, or else!!"  
  
The two girls continued to stare up at the various birds perched above them, Ginny dutifully maintaining her gaze upwards but not really noticing the owls much, her concentration still squarely centered on the Caretaker. A sudden glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention; she turned just in time to see Filch roughly grabbing Luna by the shoulders and shaking her violently, her long hair flying to and fro as her notebook and quill dropped to the floor. "TELL ME!!" he clamoured, eyes full of rage.  
  
"Mr. Filch - " intoned Snape.  
  
"HEY!!!" shrieked Ginny, pulling her wand from her robes and thrusting it to within an inch of Filch's face. "HANDS OFF!!! NOW!!!"  
  
"Cripes!!" exclaimed Filch, immediately releasing Luna and taking a quick step back, eyeing the wand warily. Ginny's furious expression had evidently convinced him he'd been about to get jinxed to kingdom come, her cheeks being so flushed with anger that it almost matched the shade of her russet- coloured hair. Mrs. Norris arched her back and hissed vehemently at her, though Ginny hardly noticed.  
  
"That is quite enough!" interjected Snape, coming to stand between Ginny and the Caretaker. Ginny was so incensed that it took her several moments to realize she was now pointing her shaking wand directly at the Potions master. She quickly lowered it.  
  
"He had no business doing that!" said Ginny angrily, addressing Snape.  
  
The Potions master raised an eyebrow at her, but gave no other visible reaction. He turned to the Caretaker. "Search the castle," he ordered. "Find the others that these two - " he indicated two girls, " - are covering for."  
  
"Aye!!" said Filch, pointing his finger at Ginny, "We'll get the lot this time! Threatenin' a member of the faculty, eh? We'll just see 'bout that!"  
  
He turned on his heels and bolted down the spiral staircase, his mangy gray tabby at his heels.  
  
Ginny looked inquiringly to Luna, hoping she hadn't been shaken too badly. But after sedately retrieving her notebook from the floor and brushing it off, Luna took to gazing calmly at the Potions Master, and aside from her hair being somewhat more dishevelled than was typical, gave no sign that anything untoward had just taken place.  
  
Snape waited a few moments for Filch's footsteps to die away and slowly closed the door behind him, before turning to the two students.  
  
"Now," he said icily, "You will tell me what you were doing here, and how you came to be aware of Wormtail's presence."  
  
Ginny hesitated. She wasn't exactly sure how Luna had come to determine that the rat they'd seen in the corridor was actually Peter Pettigrew, much less how she could possibly explain it to Snape.  
  
"We...were late coming from the library," she said, "We saw him in the hall going down the stairs, so we decided to follow and see where - "  
  
Snape's eyes narrowed. "He was going about the castle in human form?" he asked.  
  
"...yes," Ginny lied, deciding it was the safest way to explain it, at least for the moment. Luna was evidently not inclined to elucidate, so she decided to follow her lead and not draw attention to it.  
  
Snape shook his head slightly. "The fool, curfew or not..." he muttered. "And why, precisely, were you owling the Malfoys?"  
  
"Er...well, we sort of...eavesdropped..." Ginny admitted.  
  
Snape's eyes bore straight into her. "You heard our discussion?" he asked darkly.  
  
"Well...yes," Ginny said, deciding there was no other feasible way to rationalize it.  
  
"Anyway, why are you here?" asked Luna serenely.  
  
The Potions master cast her a look of supreme annoyance. "It is not for a student to question a teacher, Miss Lovegood, least of all a Head of House," he said cooly. He turned to Ginny. "What precisely did you write in your message?"  
  
"Er, we wrote two, actually," said Ginny, "One to Malfoy and one to his mother. We just wanted to warn her about Wormtail..."  
  
"Is that all?" asked Snape suspiciously.  
  
"Yes," Luna breezed in. "We would have liked to explain, you know, but there wasn't time..."  
  
"You will most certainly NOT explain," said Snape sternly. "Nor will you involve yourself in this matter any further, is that understood?"  
  
"But we have to tell Professor Dumbledore!" Ginny protested hotly, "He has to know!"  
  
"I will inform the Headmaster," replied Snape. "Now, you will return to your dormitories immediately and not speak of this incident to anyone. I'll arrange for your detentions in the morning - "  
  
"Detention?!" blurted Ginny, "But you know why we came here!!"  
  
"Enough!" Snape shot back, "You are guilty of being out past curfew, using magic in the halls, and threatening a member of the school staff with a wand - "  
  
Ginny exploded. "He practically assaulted her!! YOU SAW - "  
  
"Be quiet!!" Snape countered, moving his hand swiftly in a stifling motion. "It is precisely for that reason that you will not be expelled for your actions tonight! We cannot draw attention to these events, for reasons which should now be obvious. However a detention is nevertheless more than warranted and will also serve to allay suspicion on the part of the Caretaker. Be thankful that I haven't deducted points from your respective Houses!"  
  
Ginny blinked, stunned. "You...you won't?" This seemed extremely un-Snape- like to her.  
  
The Potions master looked at her as though she was a mindless slug. "Is your memory always so short, Miss Weasley?" he remarked snidely. "I've just told you that we must avoid drawing attention to tonight's events, which would be difficult to do come morning, once the students took notice of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw houses both short fifty points apiece!"  
  
"Well, that makes sense," said Luna serenely.  
  
Snape eyed her coldly. "Now, back to your dormitories, the both of you," he said, opening the squeaky, heavy wooden door just in time to hear a raucous racket drifting up from the lower level of the tower. Just a few moments later Ginny caught sight of Filch triumphantly dragging up a loudly protesting Draco Malfoy; evidently the Caretaker despised students from all houses with equal enthusiasm.  
  
"I caught this one makin' a beeline straight for the tower," said Filch. "Another one of these conspirators, I'd reckon."  
  
Malfoy's stifled his protests abruptly once he caught sight of Snape and his fellow detainees. He gaped at the head of Slytherin house in evident consternation, though when his eyes turned to Ginny his expression resume its familiar loathing countenance. Snape in turn glared at the Slytherin with an apparent mixture of irritation and disappointment.  
  
"I see. Detention for you as well, then, Mr. Malfoy," he said coldly.  
  
"What??" exclaimed Malfoy, "But...I was tricked! It was - "  
  
"Be quiet, Mr. Malfoy," said Snape firmly. "Lest you would like Slytherin to be deprived of house points as well?"  
  
Malfoy piped down, but his anger remained tangible. It was obvious to Ginny that he thought this had all been a practical joke to get him into trouble.  
  
"Now," Snape said, turning back to address Filch, "I will assign appropriate detentions to these three in the morning. In the meantime," he indicated the students, "Continue your search for their associates."  
  
"Associates? What associates?" blurted Malfoy.  
  
Filch gaped at Snape. "They...they ain't gettin' expelled?" he asked, aghast. He pointed a shaking finger at Ginny. "She bloody threatened me with a wand!! I want to see consequences!!"  
  
"I will be speaking to the Headmaster about this in the morning," said Snape in a tone that let everyone know the discussion was over. He cast one last warning glance at Ginny and Luna before marching quickly out the door and disappearing down the dark spiral staircase.  
  
* * *  
  
"What??" Harry said, rising quickly up from the hearth rug before the fireplace, pulling his wand from his robes. "Wormtail? Here??"  
  
"Relax," said Ginny. "He's long gone by now. And anyway, he won't do anything to Malfoy till next Hogsmeade weekend."  
  
"I wasn't worrying about Malfoy," explained Harry. "He got himself into this, he can get himself out. But Dumbledore's got to know, I mean a Death Eater right here - "  
  
"Snape said he'd tell him," said Ginny, Harry looking at her dubiously before reluctantly stashing his wand back into his inner pocket.  
  
"Snape?" asked Harry, "So he saw you?"  
  
"You know," Hermione interjected, appearing pensive, "Wormtail's presence here might explain something that's been on my mind for awhile," she looked at Harry. "Remember that night we came back from the Shrieking Shack? In the tunnel?"  
  
Harry could hardly forget that night. "Yeah...why?"  
  
"Remember how we wondered how Malfoy and the others had managed to escape?" she continued, "They'd been all tied up, if you recall."  
  
Harry considered this. "You're thinking it was Wormtail who got them out?"  
  
"Well, it's certainly possible, isn't it?" said Hermione.  
  
"It may have been the Banshee, you know," said Luna from her vantage point, warming herself up near the fireplace. She'd been gazing around curiously at the Gryffindor Common Room, so much so that Harry hadn't thought she'd been paying attention to the conversation.  
  
"Huh?" said Ron, "What Banshee?"  
  
"That thing Harry said was coming through the door, back at that old house," she said, gazing at Ron, who stared back blankly. "Oh come on, we all heard its cry, remember?"  
  
"That was a banshee?" asked Harry, stunned by this unforeseen development.  
  
"No, it wasn't - Banshees are just myth, Luna," said Hermione, turning to the young Ravenclaw. "They're folk tales, meant to scare children, that's all."  
  
"No, they're quite real, actually," Luna countered. "Professor Lockhart told us how he defeated one in Defence Against The Dark Arts once. It was required reading - "  
  
"Oh, Luna..." sighed Hermione, throwing her head up in exasperation, "That 'required reading' were his own books, he wrote them all himself!"  
  
Harry glanced at Hermione, recalling her obvious (and incomprehensible) crush on the charming and famous Gilderoy Lockhart during their second year, though there was clearly no vestige of that left now. "I know," said Luna dreamily. "We were rather lucky to have the author in person to comment on them, weren't we? He wasn't a very good Dark Arts teacher though..."  
  
"He was a fraud!" exclaimed Hermione.  
  
Harry was torn. He didn't know how he could intervene without appearing to take sides. Besides, while he well knew that Lockhart was indeed a mountebank, he was also aware that the stories in the books were actual events that Lockhart had taken credit for. Therefore he supposed it was at least possible that some witch or wizard somewhere might have defeated a Banshee. Furthermore, if there were Moon Fairies still around, as he'd seen with his own eyes, he supposed that Banshees weren't out of the realm of possibility, at least.  
  
"Just because he can't remember anything doesn't mean it didn't happen," replied Luna sharply. "I suppose you don't believe he saved those Himalayan Gorilla Birds from extinction, either!"  
  
"Himalayan - " Hermione gaped at her, "Oh, come on! Really! That's right up there with your ridiculous 'Goblin Pies' theory!"  
  
Harry winced.  
  
"Er..." said Ginny hesitatingly, moving to stand between the two, "Maybe we should..."  
  
But Luna had already picked up her notebook from the table next to the fire and gave Hermione a spiteful look on her way out, as the flounced through the tunnel and out the Fat Lady's portrait.  
  
"Luna - oh, well, really," said Hermione as she watched the Fat Lady's painting close after Luna had gone. "I can't believe she's overreacting like that. I mean - "  
  
Harry spun on his heel to face her. "What were you THINKING?" he said loudly, "Why'd you have to make that crack about the Goblin pies??"  
  
"Harry, it's completely absurd!" countered Hermione. "As if Cornelius Fudge would really be baking up - "  
  
"That's NOT what I meant," said Harry rather hotly. "You were putting down The Quibbler again - why'd you have to take a shot at her father like that??"  
  
Hermione gaped at him, her eyes widening. "Oh..." she said, comprehension dawning on her face, "I...I didn't realize - "  
  
"Why can't you just let her believe what she wants?" shot Harry even louder, his voice rising shrilly. "Why do you have to shoot her down all the time?" Hermione looked decidedly uncomfortable, her shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry, Harry," she said, looking apologetic, "It's just that some of the things she says are just so absurd, it's hard to ignore - "  
  
"What about the Thestrals??!!" exclaimed Harry, waving his hands reproachfully, "What about the Heliopaths??"  
  
Hermione swallowed hard. She looked even more dejected, if that was possible. "I...the Heliopaths...there was just no evidence, Harry..."  
  
"YOU SAW THEM!" he shouted, red-faced.  
  
Ron was determinedly staring very intently at the chessboard before him, clearly very ill at ease and not wanting to get involved in the escalating discussion. Ginny stood rooted to the spot, gaping disbelievingly at the two of them.  
  
"Yes, I did," said Hermione softly. "But Harry, how was I to know? I mean there was never any - "  
  
"Hem hem," said Ginny, desperately trying her best Dolores Umbridge impression, which to her chagrin passed completely unnoticed.  
  
"Can't you just make a leap of faith once in a while??" shot Harry brusquely, "Why do you always doubt everything she says? She took me to see Moon Fairies today, but since we all 'know' they don't exist, then I must have been hallucinating the whole time according to you, right??"  
  
Hermione looked stunned. Ginny blinked. Even Ron looked up at him from his chessboard.  
  
"You saw Moon Fairies?" asked Ginny, "Here? At Hogwarts??"  
  
Harry's face drained of colour as he felt a sickening sensation akin to a vice tightening itself around his stomach. His head swam, as he suddenly realized with dread that he'd inadvertently betrayed his word. He staggered backwards.  
  
Hermione took a step towards him. "Harry, what's wrong? You look - "  
  
"GET AWAY FROM ME!!" He shouted, shaking his arm free from her hand, "I CAN"T BELIEVE YOU!!"  
  
Hermione stood in shock, her brown eyes glittering with tears. "Harry - "  
  
He pointed a shaking finger at her. "This...if you hadn't...it's because of you it's come to this - " he said in a choking voice. "What's come to this?" asked Ginny, her eyes wide.  
  
Hermione reached out towards him, her teary eyes pleading, but he turned around abruptly and bolted from the Common Room, running up the narrow staircase that led to the boy's dormitories.  
  
* * *  
  
Hermione's night had been a miserable one, Harry's seething anger at her the previous evening having dominated her thoughts. She'd gotten up exhausted, feeling emotionally drained, and for the first time since she'd been at Hogwarts, had made her way down to the Great Hall without having bothered to make her bed, her mind being distracted by considerably more important matters.  
  
Breakfast did nothing to alleviate her despair; Harry hadn't said a word to her, and Ron and Ginny both seemed to be on edge. Only Neville had managed to bring an air of normalcy to the table, having not been present for the previous day's row as he enthusiastically described his discovery of the terrific fireproofing properties of stinksap. Ginny recounted to Harry the rest of the previous night's encounter with Snape and Filch, though he seemed somewhat distant even with her. Hermione's offer to help Harry with his Potions assignment had only brought an unintelligible mumble before he drew up and abandoned his half-eaten breakfast.  
  
The rest of the morning had only served to make her feel even worse; any hope she might have had to talk to Harry in class were dashed when he'd sat on the opposite side of Ron during Charms. Even in Transfiguration, when Ron had waited for Harry to sit first, he'd quickly picked up his books and moved off to sit with Neville the moment Hermione had taken the chair next to his. By the time lunchtime had arrived she'd been perilously close to tears; there was something about Harry's demeanor that made her seriously wonder whether real damage had been done. There was something at work, she knew, that had made him erupt so strongly at her...  
  
Ron had tried to get her to come to lunch with him and Harry, but while she appreciated his attempt to get his two best friends talking again, at the moment she felt an intense need to be alone. She feared another rebuke from Harry would push her over the edge and cause her to burst into tears, and she wasn't looking forward to making such a scene in the Great Hall.  
  
She opted instead to go to the library and try to finish the Charms assignment they'd been given by Professor Flitwick, in the forlorn hope it might help take her mind off her worries.  
  
She'd wandered into the crowded library almost in a daze, hardly noticing how packed the place was until she started looking for a free table. Though she could see the students coming to and fro, her mind didn't register any faces or murmured greetings. She searched around until she finally managed to locate a free table near the far end of the library, near the Restricted Section. Even when she heard two students behind her arguing loudly she paid no heed, deciding she wasn't in a suitable state to perform her prefect duties, for now at the very least. Besides, it wouldn't take long for Madame Pince to give the offending students a guided tour to the hall outside.  
  
She'd been working for over half an hour when she stopped to take measure of what she'd accomplished so far, and was shocked to discover she'd barely written a paragraph. Normally she'd have well over a page written up by now.  
  
It's no use, she decided despairingly. Until she could sort out things with Harry, she was going to be an emotional wreck.  
  
She folded her arms on the table and buried her face in their midst, trying to keep the surging tears from winning out. Try as she might, her thoughts drifted back to the previous evening for the seemingly hundredth time...  
  
The look in Harry's eyes was unlike any she'd seen before. His flushed face contorted in anger and rage...he'd reacted so strongly, much more so than Luna, who had simply left without saying a word...  
  
...Luna...  
  
Hermione had immediately felt a pang of guilt run through her the moment the young Ravenclaw had left the room. As much as she was distraught by Harry's reaction, it was made infinitely worse by the realization that, even though he'd gotten so carried away, Harry had been quite right. Why had she felt the need to dispute Luna's theory? After all, she'd been proven right about the Heliopaths, hadn't she? Which Hermione distinctly remembered having once told Neville didn't exist...  
  
The Heliopaths...  
  
Hermione wondered sadly, if somehow, the subconscious thought of Luna having been right, when Hermione had been so adamant of the contrary, might have played a part in her lashing out at the girl. Could she really have been so shallow as to let pride dictate her response? She sincerely hoped not...  
  
But then...what else was there?  
  
She thought back to a day last semester, when she'd been recovering in the Hospital Wing. Luna's unexpected late night visit with her ludicrous, though sublime, chocolate Crumple-Horned Snorkacks had begun to narrow the seemingly unbridgeable chasm that had separated the two since the moment they'd first met. Since that time Luna had proven herself to be not only a very capable witch, but also a surprisingly thoughtful and conscientious friend, endlessly meandering personality notwithstanding.  
  
If only it wasn't for her ridiculous beliefs, thought Hermione, before immediately chastising herself. It was that very attitude that had caused her current rift with Harry, after all.  
  
And yet, the girl was so different, so unconventional, so hard to pin down. Everything about her defied typification...  
  
"What colour is the sky in your world, Luna..." whispered Hermione, wondering if she would ever truly understand the young Ravenclaw.  
  
"Fuschia," a dreamy voice intoned nearby, "With shades of gold and lilac, I think."  
  
Hermione snapped her head up, startled at the sight of Luna sitting at her table right in front of her, a book propped up on her lap and leaning against table's edge, serenely flipping through the pages. She'd never even heard her sit down.  
  
"That's the colour the sky was," continued Luna, "The last time Mum and me watched a sunset together. I remember it quite well, actually. It was really quite lovely..."  
  
Hermione swallowed, caught off guard by the her sudden appearance. Luna continued to gaze contentedly at the pictures in her book, though from her angle Hermione couldn't tell what they were.  
  
"I...I didn't realize you were there, Luna..."  
  
"I didn't want to interrupt you," replied Luna serenely. "I know Professor Trelawney's meditation technique requires uninterrupted silence, although I've always found it a bit off, really."  
  
Hermione didn't answer, still taken aback by the completely unexpected presence of the girl she'd had a row with just the previous night.  
  
"It was quite interesting, wasn't it?" said Luna dreamily after a long silent pause, her eyes not straying from her book. "The Department Of Mysteries, I mean?"  
  
Hermione blinked. There wasn't the slightest hint of animosity in Luna's voice; indeed, she seemed her usual dreamy self, despite what had transpired the previous day. As Luna had been absent from breakfast, Hermione had assumed she was likely still upset, but that certainly didn't seem the case, judging by her demeanour.  
  
"The...Department..." Hermione repeated slowly, realizing she was referring to their disastrous trip to rescue Sirius the previous year. Why suddenly bring it up now, months later? "I...suppose so..."  
  
Luna continued to quietly flip through the pages of her book, every once in a while her pale eyes fixing their gaze on some particularly interesting image. "It was odd, you know," she suddenly voiced, "To be in the very rooms and halls that Mum used to work in. I'd never visited, of course, but it seemed so very familiar. But then, Mum was always telling me about it, so - "  
  
"Luna," Hermione interrupted, "You're...not upset?"  
  
At those words Luna's gaze finally lifted from her book up to Hermione. "No," she said, looking surprised. "Why?"  
  
"Well , after what I said last night..." said Hermione quietly, "I thought you'd be, well, angry. You weren't at breakfast, so..."  
  
"That was yesterday," smiled Luna as though it had never happened, "And I didn't go to breakfast because I had an assignment I really had to finish for Professor Binns, you know...oh, hold on..."  
  
She'd evidently noticed Hermione's grief-reddened eyes, as her smile slowly disappeared, replaced by a look of concern as she tilted her head slightly to one side. After a few moments of contemplation she snapped her heavy book shut with such vigour that it startled a pair of nearby Hufflepuffs, putting it aside on the table without a second glance, before getting up and rounding the table to take the chair next to Hermione's.  
  
"I didn't realize you'd be so upset," said Luna quietly, "I suppose it was rather rude of me to leave like that. I didn't mean to cause you grief, you know..."  
  
"It's...not that, Luna," said Hermione, "Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with me. I shouldn't have said those things last night, really."  
  
"Well," said Luna, staring at her, "I think you should always express your views, you know, even if they differ. It's not good to keep them hidden, I think."  
  
"But...oh, Luna, how can I say this," said Hermione as she ran her hand back through her hair, "I think I just have trouble...'accepting' some of the things you come up with sometimes; but I never meant to direct it towards your father, Luna, I'm really sorry if it came out that way."  
  
Luna stared at her intently, her large silver eyes unblinking. "Hermione," she said softly, "Thank you. That means very much."  
  
Hermione smiled weakly, feeling the weight on her shoulders lessen ever so slightly. "Luna," she said cautiously, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but why do you believe in all those things? I just...wonder how anyone with a brain could be so ready to just trust everything like that. It just seems so, well..."  
  
"Loony?" Luna finished.  
  
Hermione glanced down at the floor. One thing she did know, through Ginny, was that deep down, Luna didn't seem to much appreciate being called that term, even though she'd never reacted to it.  
  
"I...that's not..."  
  
"Well," said Luna serenely, "I look at it differently, I suppose. I just think life is so much more enjoyable without having to question and doubt everything. It's so much fun to solve mysteries, Mum and me used to do it all the time. But you know," she said earnestly, her eyes widening, "It's even more fun when some mysteries can't be solved."  
  
Hermione gaped at her. For possibly the first time since she'd known her, Hermione thought she could see a glimmer of Luna's reasoning, and even more surprising, it made at least rudimentary sense to her. Contrary to the way most (if not all) people looked at life, Luna chose to believe in something and then look at it objectively, after the fact, rather than the other way around. Of course that would never do for her, but still...  
  
Hermione found herself staring at Luna with her mouth open. "That's...I never really thought of it that way, to tell you the honest truth."  
  
"Well, you're rather pragmatic," said Luna serenely. "I suppose there's nothing wrong with that, but I would find it terribly boring, really. I always wondered how you could look at things so analytically, it seems so odd..."  
  
Hermione thought she could detect a hint of curiosity emanating from Luna, as though she'd herself also wondered how Hermione could go through life following her own philosophy. It never occurred to her that she might be as much a mystery to Luna as the young Ravenclaw was to her.  
  
"So...that's why you think the Crumple-Horned Snorkack exists," Hermione ventured.  
  
"They do exist," said Luna confidently, smiling at her.  
  
"But of course," Hermione corrected herself, unable to suppress a smile of her own. "But I mean, seriously, you can't really believe everything people say, can you?"  
  
Luna glanced down, her smile accentuated by her blushing cheeks in a rare show of embarrassment. "Well, no," she said. "Some things, like that story Colin published in the Hogwarts Express. I mean, really..."  
  
Hermione blinked. "What? Tell!" She hadn't really read much of Colin's school newspaper after the first few editions, as it had turned out to be essentially a glorified rumour-mill. But she was very curious to hear of a story so preposterous that even Luna Lovegood herself could not bring herself to take it seriously.  
  
The Ravenclaw glanced back up at her. "You didn't hear? Everyone was talking about it. Well, a few weeks ago he published this article on how the house elves use a portable black hole to dispose of all the rubbish they collect around the school. Well, I was rather dubious, of course, and after asking Professor Sinistra about it I decided it really couldn't be. I mean if there really was one there, we'd all be in a rather sorry state by now, wouldn't we?"  
  
"He actually published that??" exclaimed Hermione incredulously. This made the Goblin Pies theory seem eminently feasible in comparison.  
  
Luna nodded vigorously. "He does have a rather good imagination though, doesn't he?"  
  
"Oh, of that there's no doubt," admitted Hermione.  
  
They both giggled at that, before Luna looked at her questioningly. "There's something else though, isn't there?" she asked. "Something's bothering you still..."  
  
Hermione held her breath. She'd wanted to talk to Harry about it, but...  
  
"Well, yes," she admitted, her feelings of sadness returning all too quickly, "Harry and I...had a rift last night..."  
  
Luna's eyes widened. "No, surely not," she whispered.  
  
Hermione nodded sadly. "He really took exception to what I said before you left," she voiced gently.  
  
Luna stared at her, mouth open slightly, her usual surprised expression greatly accentuated. "He got upset at you because of that?"  
  
"Well, upset is putting it mildly," said Hermione. "Beside himself, really. He hasn't spoken to me all morning. I've never seen him like this..."  
  
Luna shook her head, bracing herself to stand. "Luna, wait," said Hermione, "Where are you going?"  
  
The young Ravenclaw looked at her sadly, "I'm going to go talk with him," she said softly. "I'll make things right..."  
  
"Luna...he mentioned something about seeing fairies with you yesterday," said Hermione. "He got really agitated right after that, would you know why - " she broke off abruptly at the sight before her; Luna's eyes had widened precipitously...  
  
"Harry said that?" asked Luna. 


	21. Luna's Year, Part XXI

Harry wasn't looking forward to Astronomy class that afternoon; Ron had been on his case all through lunch about making amends with Hermione, and had been so unusually persistent that Harry had ended up uttering a feeble excuse in order to leave early, abandoning his plate of half-eaten food at the table. The thought of sitting with both of them through a whole hour- long class was beginning to make him feel distinctly uncomfortable...but then, he'd only had himself to blame, really...  
  
And to compound it all, he hadn't seen Luna all day, which in truth was a mixed blessing; though he enjoyed her company, at the moment this was tempered by the knowledge that he'd so blatantly broken his promise to her about the fairies, barely hours after making it. His stomach twisted at the thought of having to tell her he'd betrayed her trust...yet to pretend otherwise was unthinkable. She deserved to know, after all, she'd brought him there for the express purpose of making him feel better...and for a few sublime hours, he had. And now, thanks to his blunder, he'd lost not only his cheerfulness but possibly one of his best friends, as well. Especially as Harry got the distinct impression that Luna was a person of her word; he recalled quite clearly her strange, closed-eye vow to herself when he'd made her pledge to keep their little escapade into the Slytherin Common Room secret...she'd clearly considered that promise a sacred trust; how on earth would she think of him after this?  
  
He was making his way up the staircase to the second floor, hardly noticing the other students as he trod heavily along, heading for the library to wait out the rest of the lunch hour; just as he put his foot on the bottommost step of the second flight of stairs, he realized that Hermione would more than likely be there, given that she hadn't been at lunch. He halted in hid-step, a couple of Slytherins following behind walking up around him in annoyance, evidently thinking he'd deliberately made himself an obstacle in their path.  
  
He sighed, deciding that the library was probably not the best place to be right now. He was just considering going to the Gryffindor tower for awhile, as the chilly January air was making the warmth of the fireplace very enticing; he'd just made up his mind when a someone called out his name from above.  
  
"Harry! Harry!"  
  
He glanced up to see Colin Creevy rapidly making his way down towards him. His shoulders sagged. At the moment, he really wasn't in the mood to be giving Colin scoops to use in his school news gazette. "Um...hi," Harry said blankly.  
  
Colin had never really outgrown his penchant for hyperactivity. Although, thankfully, he rarely carried his muggle camera around with him anymore, relying mostly on word of mouth to use in his paper.  
  
"When's the next D.A. meeting?? Everyone's asking, now that Christmas break is over and all, and - " "Shhhh!!!" Harry said harshly. Even though Umbridge was no longer around to promote her gulag version of a school, they'd still kept the DA secret, as he really didn't trust the Slytherins. He had to admit, however, that the thought of the DA lessons had completely slipped his mind. "Keep it down, Colin!"  
  
"Oh, of course!" Colin beamed, "Hush-hush and all that, right?"  
  
"Yeah, look," Harry said tiredly, "I'll get together with Ron and...Hermione...tonight and we'll work out the time for the next meeting, all right? We'll send it through the galleons before the end of the week." His stomach lurched at the thought of having to go to Hermione for that, given their spat the previous day.  
  
Colin's hand reflexively reached into his pocket, evidently trying to detect wether his galleon was warm or not.  
  
"We haven't done it yet, Colin," Harry said, "Before the end of the week though, all right?"  
  
"Righto!" Colin said brightly, "Till then!"  
  
Harry watched the young Gryffindor scamper away down the staircase out of sight, secretly glad he'd gone...he wasn't in much of a mood for socializing at the moment. He was about to climb the second flight of stairs before realizing that he wasn't going to the library after all, just as a familiar sight above him caught his attention.  
  
Luna was walking down the staircase, gazing at him, her small pinecone earrings dangling with every step. He might have laughed at the sight, given better circumstances, but as it was, Harry felt his stomach tighten...he hadn't expected to see her this very moment!  
  
"Um...hi, Luna," he said as she came before him on the landing, staring up at Harry with her large silver eyes, her expression unusually earnest...he briefly wondered if...no, she couldn't know already, could she?  
  
She kept silent, continuing to stare up at him expectantly...he felt his stomach give a heave within him. "I'm...going to the Gryffindor tower to warm up a bit...would you like to..."  
  
Luna cast her gaze downward; Harry saw a look of disappointment cross her face...she seemed almost resigned to something, it seemed to him. He felt his insides give another sickening twist, and he knew that he couldn't put it off, he had to be honest with her.  
  
"Luna...I've...there's something I have to tell you..." he began hesitatingly.  
  
She looked back up at him, her large, silvery eyes seemingly sad and slightly hopeful all at once.  
  
"I just...slipped up, last night," he said heavily, "I don't know why...I just shot my mouth off, in the middle of an argument - "  
  
"I know," Luna said softly, looking back up at him, "I just had a talk with Hermione, about the fairies."  
  
Harry blinked. He felt his head spinning, as the sickening realization hit him that Luna already knew, and she'd had to hear it from someone else...  
  
"I...didn't mean - " he said, his voice sounding strangely disembodied to his own ears...he felt the colour drain from his face, as though hit by a weak disillusionment charm. Luna took a step closer to him. "Harry..." she said sadly.  
  
This was it. He was about to lose a friend who'd been such a godsend to him. His dizziness increased to the point where he thought he might lose his balance, his vision blurring around the edges...  
  
Then suddenly, he felt a mass of sandy blonde hair brush up against the side of his face...Luna was standing on her tiptoes and planting a kiss on his cheek...Harry felt a strange surge of energy run through him, feeling slightly tingly; it was a magical, almost transcendent sensation, really...  
  
She drew back, still looking up at him with clear silver eyes, all hints of dreaminess noticeably absent. "That was really sweet of you, you know..." she said gently.  
  
Harry felt lost, his dread now intermingling chaotically with intense confusion. "What..." he stammered, "I don't understand...I...I broke..."  
  
"Your promise, yes," Luna finished for him, though Harry thought he saw hints of a smile playing across her face, "Hermione told me what you said...how you stuck up for me and Daddy...but you really shouldn't have, you know."  
  
Harry gaped at her. "B-but...aren't you..."  
  
Luna tilted her head slightly to one side. "Harry..." she began, "I wanted to see if you would tell me, and I'm so glad you did. Last night, your heart and your brain got into a fight...and your heart just happened to win, that's all. But then, it always does with you, doesn't it?"  
  
A sense of overwhelming relief overcame Harry; he grabbed hold of the corner banister to keep his legs from giving out.  
  
"Harry, it's all right," Luna said as she quickly took hold of his arm, evidently thinking he'd been about to fall over. "No one knows where the fairies are, you know..."  
  
He looked at her. "But...aren't you upset?" Harry said sombrely, "How can you just..."  
  
She tilted her head and looked at him with her large, clear silver eyes, smiling slightly. "Because I believe in you, Harry," she said quietly, "I know it was an accident...you are rather prone to them, after all, if I may say so..."  
  
His vision clouded again, though this time with tears...the terrible weight lifted from his conscience at last, filling him with a rather exuberant giddiness.  
  
He abruptly reached out and wrapped his arms around Luna and drew her close in a deep hug, burying his face in her long, dirty blonde hair. Luna briefly stiffened as he'd obviously surprised her, and at first her arms remained at her sides, though after a few moments he felt her hands move hesitatingly and gently pressed themselves against his back. She felt almost ethereal, Harry thought.  
  
Harry didn't care about the looks they were getting from some passers-by, who he couldn't recognize in any event through his tear-stained glasses; he was so ecstatic at the moment that nothing could dissuade him from expressing his happiness.  
  
Finally he let Luna go, and as she drew back she was looking at him strangely, almost as though she was at a loss, though it lasted for just a brief moment before her dreamy countenance returned and she smiled serenely up at him.  
  
"Well," she said, "I'll see you later, Harry. I have to bring some notes to Ginny, before History class..."  
  
She drew away and was about to walk down the staircase when she paused for a moment before turning back to him. "Hermione's in the library, Harry," she said thoughtfully, "She's still in a rather bad way, really..."  
  
"I'll go talk to her," Harry promised, suddenly wondering why he'd gotten so upset at Hermione the day before...it all seemed so ridiculously overblown now...  
  
Luna smiled brightly at him. "That would help, I think," she said, before turning back and disappearing down the stairs.  
  
As he watched her go, he suddenly realized how powerful his reaction had been...he'd never reached out and just hugged someone with all his might like that before...  
  
* * *  
  
"Mind if I join you?" Hermione looked up at him in surprise. "Oh...Harry..." she seemed to take a few seconds to wake from her reverie before indicating the chair Harry was standing behind, "Yes, of course..."  
  
Harry smiled at her as he took his seat, though he felt a pang of guilt as he caught sight of her tear-reddened eyes, knowing full well that he'd been responsible for them. He honestly wondered why he'd reacted so harshly to her the night before; in retrospect, it now seemed a very minor incident, yet he couldn't deny the anguish he'd caused her.  
  
"Um...how are...I noticed you didn't come down for lunch," he said uncertainly.  
  
"Well...I didn't think you would've appreciated that..." Hermione said, swallowing hard.  
  
Harry sighed, his shoulders sagging. As much as he hated to think so, she was right; he'd felt so on edge through lunch that he likely would have left had she arrived. "Hermione, I'm sorry for what happened," he said sincerely, "I shouldn't have blown up at you like that...I was a real git, I know..."  
  
Hermione reached out and took hold of his hands in hers, her eyes once more welling up with tears. "Harry...thank you..." she whispered. "I can't tell you what a relief that is to me..."  
  
"I don't know what got into me," he admitted, "I just wasn't thinking straight, I guess..."  
  
"Well, Harry, isn't it obvious?" said Hermione, "I've never seen you react quite that way before."  
  
Harry blinked at her. Over her shoulder he could see several students making their way out of the library; lunch hour must be nearly over, but something about what Hermione said made him ignore such things as trivial as schedules. "What do you mean?" he asked.  
  
Hermione bit her lip, clearly not wanting to upset him again. "Harry, you're very, well, protective of Luna...haven't you noticed?"  
  
Harry drew back. "Well, yeah, but she's done the same for us, I mean just look at what she did in the forest, and at the Shack - "  
  
"Harry, please don't get upset," Hermione said pleadingly, "It wasn't meant as criticism...there's nothing wrong with that at all, really, it's just, well, I think it shows how you really feel about her..."  
  
Harry felt his stomach go into convulsions. "Er...I like her, I mean - "  
  
"Oh Harry," Hermione said, shaking her head and smiling at the same time, "Well, anyway...I suppose it took me some time to really see past my preconceptions too. I used to write her off as a flake, remember?"  
  
"Yeah..." Harry said, grasping at the chance to change the subject. "I think Ron still does sometimes."  
  
"He'll come around, Harry," she said, "At least, I hope so...she's not at all like the first impression I got, you know. She did get sorted into Ravenclaw, after all..."  
  
They sat in silence for a short while; Harry noticed the library was mostly empty now, the clock on the wall indicating only a few minutes remained before the start of class. Either Hermione wasn't aware or didn't care about being late for class, which seemed highly unlikely, Harry thought.  
  
"We had a little heart-to-heart, Luna and I," she said carefully, "I'm beginning to at least understand her way of thinking, a little..."  
  
Harry blinked. "You do?" He asked, stunned. "Does that mean you believe in the Crumple-Horned Snorkack now?"  
  
"Oh, no!" Hermione said laughingly, "No, I can't bring myself to go quite that far...but at least I'm starting to understand why Luna does." She mulled thoughtfully: "You know, her, well, 'philosophy' on life, I suppose is the best way to describe it...it's actually rather sensible, in a way...well, at least for someone who can believe the things she does."  
  
Hermione ran her hands back through her brown hair...she looked exhausted, Harry thought. "I just have to keep from snapping back when she comes out with those theories of hers," she said softly, "Honestly, I don't know why I do it...but then...Goblin Pies..."  
  
Harry smiled. Much as he didn't like to admit it, that particular story did seem so far-fetched as to border on the preposterous. He was just about to mention the time when Hermione caught him completely off-guard.  
  
"You know, I get so upset when Ginny tells me some of the things they do to her," Hermione said, "The other Ravenclaws, I mean...but am I any different, really?"  
  
"Sure you are," Harry said comfortingly, "I mean, they pick on her because she's...well...different, and all that." Try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to say the word 'odd'; although she still did and said things that continued to stupefy him on occasion, he had absolutely no doubt as to Luna's sanity.  
  
"Yes, but, Harry, I do that too, much as I'm ashamed to admit it," Hermione said self-consciously. "Even after everything she's done - " "Don't torture yourself," Harry said, "Maybe you're not putting Luna down as much as defending your own beliefs; it's just that you tend to defend by attacking, sometimes..."  
  
Hermione looked stunned. For several seconds she just gaped at Harry before gradually assuming an air of introspection. "You know, you might just be right about that?"  
  
"Uh...I am?"  
  
"Harry, do you think I'm narrow-minded?" she asked seriously.  
  
It was Harry's turn to be stunned. Hermione had always been so sure of herself, a tower of certainty and confidence in her own being, and yet at the moment she seemed to be doubting herself and reaching out for reassurance.  
  
"Er...narrow-minded?" Harry asked uncertainly, "Um, what makes you ask that?"  
  
"Oh, I won't get mad, Harry," Hermione said, giving a dismissive wave of her hand, "Tell me what you think."  
  
"Um...well, no...I don't think - "  
  
"Be honest," Hermione said, "I really want to know."  
  
"Well...now don't get mad...but...you do get a little on the skeptical side sometimes," Harry said with baited breath, though Hermione looked more introspective than upset.  
  
"But I don't know if I would call that narrow-minded...and anyway, that's not a bad thing, really," he hastened to add, not wanting to make her think any less of herself, "It's really helped us out a lot in the past...I mean, I don't even want to think of where we'd be today if you weren't here, Hermione," he said sincerely.  
  
She smiled sadly at him. "Well...thanks, Harry, that's nice of you to say. But still...I really should try to be more open-minded, for Luna's sake at least," she sighed, "She really has a good heart, you know..."  
  
"I know," Harry said.  
  
* * *  
  
"Will you come off it?" Ginny said heatedly, "Do you always have to be such a git?? We weren't trying to trick you!"  
  
"How stupid do you think I am??" Malfoy shot back, as they wandered further into the Forbidden Forest in search of Snape's exotic ingredients. "You planned it so I'd get caught in the tower! I'll get you back for that - "  
  
"If that's true," Luna said vaguely from behind them, "Can you explain why we went to the tower and waited to be caught as well?"  
  
"I - that's - " Malfoy began, evidently unable to come up with an explanation to satisfy himself, much less the others. "Don't confound the issue!" he said angrily without turning back.  
  
"Oh, well...I forgot you're not in Ravenclaw," Luna said dreamily from behind him.  
  
Malfoy stopped in his tracks, turning on his heel to come face to face with the Ravenclaw, who had almost walked straight into him in her dreamy state. Ginny took a couple more steps before coming to a stop, finally noticing Malfoy was no longer next to her.  
  
"What do you mean by THAT?" Malfoy said hotly, glaring at Luna.  
  
"Hmmm? Oh...well, you did express some difficulty in understanding the question, didn't you?" Luna said, gazing at him serenely.  
  
"Watch your mouth, Lovegood! You were deliberately trying to confuse me!"  
  
"No," Luna said innocently, "though I do agree you were confused."  
  
"Okay, that's enough, you two," Ginny interrupted, "Let's move it, the quicker we can get out of here the better."  
  
Malfoy spun back around to face her. "Who appointed you leader, Weasel?"  
  
Ginny's face flushed with irritation. "No one," she said, trying to keep her anger from rising to the surface, "But somebody has to remember why we're out here in the first place!"  
  
"Well, I'm the prefect here, so obviously I'm in charge," Malfoy drawled, pointing at his badge. "Now, we'll - "  
  
"If you're a prefect," Luna chimed from behind him, "It's rather odd that you received detention for being out after curfew, isn't it?"  
  
"They're going to hear about that!" Malfoy said, turning back to her, "If they think my father is going to sit still and let this - "  
  
Luna tilted her head slightly. "Isn't he in Azkaban?" she asked conversationally.  
  
Malfoy gaped at her, a look of fury crossing his face. He wagged his finger threateningly at Luna. "You'll pay for that when he gets out, you weirdo, just you wait!"  
  
"Actually, we heard that Voldemort fellow wasn't really inclined to get him out," Luna said dreamily, her hands reaching up to straighten her reindeer hat.  
  
"What? Liar!" Malfoy said.  
  
"Oh, so you're admitting your father has ties with You-Know-Who, then?" Ginny countered.  
  
"I...I didn't say that!" Malfoy stammered. "Look, are we going to get those vine things or not??"  
  
Ginny shot a shrewd grin at Luna as they turned back to the task at hand, that of obtaining the rare Skankegg root for Professor Snape; she looked at the tiny crystal orb he'd given them as it lay in her hand, and saw with satisfaction that is was glowing a brighter green than before...they were heading in the right direction, due east as he'd said.  
  
They walked for a while in relative silence, only Luna's soft humming of 'Weasley Is Our King' providing any relief from the stillness of the woods. Ginny had a fleeting thought back to the Burrow during the holidays, when Luna had suddenly enchanted them with a impromptu and heartbreakingly beautiful rendering of Silent Night...it was the only time she'd ever heard her sing out loud; she wondered how the Gryffindor version of 'Weasley Is Our King' would sound...  
  
She glanced at Luna and took heart in her friend's dreamy demeanor; she seemed perfectly at ease here, which suggested to Ginny that there was likely nothing to fear, at least for the moment. This must be something very much akin to one of her late night strolls through the forest, Ginny thought. Even so, she nevertheless couldn't quite dispel her wariness; and by the looks of it, neither could Malfoy, who kept glancing around them nervously.  
  
"Will you bloody well knock it off already?" Malfoy shot back angrily a while later. "You're going to alert every filthy creature out here!"  
  
"How uncouth," Luna said, "You don't have to be frightened, you know. The giant spiders are still hibernating at this time of year, and - "  
  
"I'm not scared!" Malfoy protested rather unconvincingly, as he was looking all around nervously. He glanced back at her. "What giant spiders?"  
  
"Oh, nothing..." Luna said vaguely. Malfoy's head began snapping left and right with even greater frequency. They walked on in silence, every once in a while Ginny catching sight of Luna playfully spinning in a circle as she walked, wondering what could be going through the young Ravenclaw's mind. The light from their wands was casting multiple shadows of themselves on the forest floor, frequently causing illusions of movement in the woods which served to startle Malfoy to no end. At least the snow cover on the ground was rather light, Ginny noticed thankfully, as it also meant they wouldn't have to clear very much to get at the roots Snape wanted.  
  
"Did you owl your mother?" Luna asked Malfoy dreamily, out of the blue.  
  
"What? What are you talking about?" Malfoy answered without slowing his pace.  
  
"Your mother," Luna said airily, "Did you hear back from her yet?"  
  
"I - what business is it of yours, Lovegood?" he practically spat.  
  
"Well, we sent an owl to her last night, you know, I was just wondering - "  
  
"You're the one!" Malfoy spun on his heels, pointing an accusatory finger at Luna. "My owl's been missing all day! You sent him off!"  
  
"We had to get an owl that knew your address, Malfoy," Ginny interrupted, coming to stand next to Luna, "It didn't matter who it belonged to!"  
  
"What are you playing at?" Malfoy spat, "What trick are you going to pull on her? Tell me now!"  
  
"It's not a trick!" Ginny exclaimed, exasperated, "How many times do we have to tell you??"  
  
"You're being rather close-minded, you know," Luna said.  
  
"Close-minded?" Malfoy blurted, "You expect me to believe that you overheard a Death Eater, in the school, telling Professor Snape they were going to knock off both me and my mother?"  
  
"Yes!" Ginny said.  
  
"Yes," Luna said, at the same instant, nodding vigorously.  
  
"If that was true, then why didn't Professor Snape warn me?" Malfoy shot back.  
  
Ginny and Luna exchanged glances. Ginny knew full well that were Snape to warn Malfoy and his mother of Voldemort's plans, his cover would be blown. But, she didn't dare tell that to Malfoy... "Well, why would he warn you? If he's in contact with Death Eaters, why would he side himself with someone who's been branded a traitor?" Ginny lied, hoping it would come off convincingly.  
  
Malfoy's eyes widened. "Me?" he said, "Branded a...but how - "  
  
"You-Know-Who seems to think that you gave that portkey book to Harry," Ginny said, "So he thinks you're a danger to him now."  
  
"What?? Potter!!" Malfoy spat, "He stole that book from me! I know he did! I knew something was fishy when the trunk ward charm went off! Damn Crabbe and Goyle, those lazy - "  
  
"Well, that's a confession if I ever heard one," Ginny smirked. "So you're admitting you did have that book, and you were helping You-Know-Who, after all."  
  
"What? No, I meant - "  
  
"Oh, give it up, Malfoy!" Ginny said, "You're not fooling anyone!"  
  
"Orb," Luna said serenely, pointing at Ginny's hand.  
  
"Eh? What?" Ginny said, her train of thought momentarily disrupted. She looked at the tiny crystal sphere in her hand; it was glowing very brightly and pulsating. "Oh! I think this is the spot," she said, glancing around and looking for the wooden stake in the ground that Snape had told them marked the area where the Skankegg root could be found. They lowered their wands closer to the forest floor as they searched, Ginny being the one to find the old peg near the base of a dead hemlock tree.  
  
"Well, come on," she said as she and Luna got down on their knees and started digging away the topmost layer of soil in search of the exotic roots. "You too, Malfoy."  
  
"I'm not digging through dirt like a common gardener!" he spat at them, "I'll supervise."  
  
"You'll dig right along, or else I'll tell Snape you didn't, and then you'll have to do another detention."  
  
Malfoy glared at her, though he seemed to consider her threat meaningful enough that he roughly drew out the small spade they'd gotten from Madam Sprout's greenhouses before coming. He reluctantly dropped his knees to the ground and started digging away.  
  
Locating the roots wasn't difficult; Snape had given them a small sample of one, and its telltale bright olive colouration was easy to distinguish it from the other, more mundane, root systems. They worked quickly, and it had taken them only about twenty minutes to collect enough of the Skankegg roots to fill up Snape's bag; which was quite long enough as Ginny was concerned, as the ground, although thankfully not frozen, was still cold enough to be permeating her legs to near-numbness by now.  
  
"Okay, that's enough," she said, as Luna dropped one last root into the bag. "Let's get back, I'm freezing."  
  
The moment they stood, Ginny realized with a start that they were being watched by a group of centaurs, so concentrated had they been with digging up roots that they hadn't noticed the new arrivals until this very moment. She noticed with dread that several of them held bows at the ready, trained directly on them.  
  
"AUGHH! HALF-BREEDS FREAKS!" Malfoy yelled, stumbling backwards and reaching for his wand.  
  
"No! Don't - " Luna called out, a moment before an arrow was loosed at the Slytherin. "Impedimenta!"  
  
At the literal last instant a flash from Luna's wand hit the arrow inches from Malfoy's face, sending it spinning harmlessly into the forest; the Slytherin was standing rigid as a tree, his wand not yet raised into the ready position, and yet Luna had somehow managed to draw hers from behind her ear and fire off a spell in the same amount of time. Ginny stared at her open-mouthed...  
  
The other centaurs who hadn't fired all trained their bows on Malfoy, who paled visibly. Ginny drew her wand but didn't point it at them, just as Luna stepped in front of Malfoy.  
  
"Luna! No!" Ginny cried, fearing for her friend's life. Why does she do that, she thought furiously...not in a million years would Ginny trade Luna's life for Malfoy's.  
  
"Stand aside, child," One of the centaurs holding a bow at the ready said darkly, "Our quarrel is not with you."  
  
"I know," Luna said calmly, holding her wand at her side and evidently being careful not to point it at the creatures before them. "But it's not with him, either."  
  
Ginny swallowed hard. There were a good dozen centaurs before them, and even if all three of them managed to get spells away, there was no way they could possibly overcome all of them before getting struck by arrows in return. She decided it was best to let Luna be their voice, as the only centaur she'd ever met had been Firenze, who, with his tolerant view of humans, was hardly representative of his species. She walked slowly over to stand next to Luna, being very conscious not to make any sudden movements.  
  
"He was drawing his wand for battle, and has committed a grave insult," the lead centaur said in a deep voice, "Not only has he defiled the forest with his presence, he has insinuated that we are half human!"  
  
"He is...rather ignorant of such things," Luna said. Ginny noticed that Malfoy was hardly in a position to protest, even had he been so inclined...Luna had only to step out of the way...  
  
"Do not attempt to protect him," the lead centaur warned, "while your presence is tolerated, we will not be dissuaded from exacting retribution for his offense."  
  
Luna spun around and faced Malfoy. "Apologize," she said quietly but firmly.  
  
"Wh - what?" The Slytherin stammered.  
  
"Will that really satisfy them, Luna?" Ginny whispered.  
  
"I don't know," Luna said gravely, "But Ronan isn't here, I don't think I can convince them otherwise," she turned to Malfoy, "And best put your wand away."  
  
"B-but..."  
  
"Apologize to them," Luna repeated, "And be sincere." Ginny winced at that. She could hardly imagine Malfoy doing such a thing.  
  
Luna turned around to face the centaurs, though didn't move from her position in front of Malfoy. "He would like to apologize for his lack of wisdom," she announced.  
  
Ginny saw a few of the centaurs glance at each other uncertainly, though they all kept their bows trained. "Let him come forth, then, and do so without hiding behind another," the lead centaur said.  
  
Luna spun around once more to face the Slytherin. "All right, are you ready?"  
  
"W-what?" Malfoy said, his terror-filled eyes growing wider, "They'll kill me! They're just itching to - "  
  
"Draco, listen to me," she said, "We're right here with you. We won't let that happen. Anyway, centaurs aren't generally treacherous by nature, you know. Now please put your wand away..."  
  
"No!" Malfoy said, drawing back, "That's just what they want!"  
  
"Don't back away!" Luna warned, "I can't - "  
  
"Malfoy!" Ginny snapped, "Get back here If you don't want to get turned back into a ferret - "  
  
Ginny felt more than heard an arrow fly right between her and Luna, hitting Malfoy's scarf with such force that it pulled the grey and green Slytherin garment clear off his coat to land amidst the trees beyond.  
  
"AAAUUUGGGH!" Malfoy screamed as he turned and bolted into the darkness.  
  
Luna spun around to face the centaurs. "STOP IT!" she called, now pointing her wand directly at them.  
  
"Luna, don't!" Ginny said, though she held her place at her friend's side, their wands parallel.  
  
"You dare to protect those which defile these woods?!" the lead centaur said loudly, clearly becoming very agitated. Ginny saw with consternation that the arrowheads were now pointing directly at them. "We have allowed you to wander this land without reproach these many years, and you now seek to defend those who desecrate our sanctity??"  
  
Ginny thought she heard a distant noise in the woods, though she realized it was most likely Malfoy running back to the castle. At least she hoped so; the last thing they needed was more centaurs.  
  
"I'm sorry," Luna said, "But I couldn't let him come to harm, he really wasn't here of his own accord, you know."  
  
"The reasons for his presence matters not!" the centaur rebuked, "In protecting him, you have made yourself an - "  
  
A much louder crash in the forest cut him off, and this time everyone noticed. Ginny could now hear a veritable cacophony of snaps and cracks, quickly becoming louder. Judging from the centaurs, who were now all glancing towards the north nervously, whatever was coming clearly wasn't Malfoy.  
  
"What is that?" Ginny whispered.  
  
Luna shook her head. "I don't know...it sounds large..."  
  
Ginny was startled by the sudden sound of galloping, turning to see the centaurs quickly disappearing into the forest...her sense of dread multiplied tenfold...if a dozen centaurs armed with bows fled in fright at whatever that was...  
  
"Luna! Let's go! Nox!" she said, extinguishing her wand. "Come on!" she whispered harshly, tugging hard on Luna's sleeve, as her friend finally followed and turned off her own wand's glow.  
  
They slowly made their way back whence they came, all the while hearing something huge in the area they'd vacated. Whatever it was, it made absolutely no attempt to disguise its presence, as it sounded almost like whole trees were being snapped in half; this was actually fortunate, as it also served to hide the noise they were making groping around the woods in the dark...they didn't dare light their wands until they were far enough away that the noise behind them was barely detectable.  
  
When they finally decided it was safe enough to re-light their wands Ginny could see with relief they'd managed to stay on course; their old footprints in the sparse snow cover reassured her they were at least not going to get lost.  
  
"What was that thing?" Ginny said as they walked back, "Have you ever heard anything like that out here before?"  
  
"No," Luna said simply, looking thoughtful.  
  
"And why were those centaurs in such a snit?" Ginny asked, " I mean, I know Firenze isn't like most of them, but good lord - "  
  
"They're not really very tolerant of humans, really," Luna said as they stepped over an old fallen log, "And, well, Draco's comment about they being half-breeds..."  
  
Ginny nodded in understanding. She briefly wondered where Malfoy was at the moment, but then put the thought aside. He'd gotten himself into this mess, he could bloody well get himself out, so far as she was concerned.  
  
"They didn't seem to mind you being here, though," Ginny remarked.  
  
"Oh...well...they did at first, you know," Luna said, "I think they were surprised though when I started arguing with that Ronan fellow about the meanings associated with the movements of Mars...Mum would have had a field day pointing out how they'd misunderstood so much of it, she was really much better at that than I am...anyway, after awhile he said I could come and go as I please, but now..."  
  
"What do you think will happen?" Ginny asked, ducking under an overhagning branch as Luna did likewise.  
  
"I don't know," Luna answered, "They were really quite upset."  
  
That's an understatement, Ginny thought.  
  
* * *  
  
"Ohh, that Snape!!" Tonks exclaimed, holding a half-eaten chocolate Snorkack in her hand as she lay in bed. "Is he insane? Sending students in the forest for detention??"  
  
"Not insane," Hermione interjected from her chair next to the bed, "Just really nasty." She glanced at Luna, who had been quietly reading the latest edition of The Quibbler on the other side of Tonks' bed as Hermione had been bringing the young Auror up to date on the latest happenings. Ginny had told her of the encounter the previous night; it had been a harrowing experience, to say the least, and yet Luna was back to her dreamy self, as though nothing had happened. They'd decided to keep it from Harry for the moment, otherwise he might well go and try to challenge Malfoy to a duel, Hermione thought. She envied her Ravenclaw friend's ability to not get stressed or flustered; it would certainly make life less harrowing, she realized.  
  
She wondered if Luna kept a batch of her chocolate Snorkack treats on standby these days...it seemed highly unlikely that she would have gone straight down to the kitchens in the middle of the night to bake them up right after an encounter such as she'd had. But then, Luna was a most unlikely personality.  
  
They'd gotten up early that morning to come pay Tonks a visit while she was recovering in the hospital wing, and while Hermione questioned the choice of treats for a morning visit, there was no denying that they were as delicious as ever, having finally yielded to temptation and helped herself to a couple.  
  
"Well, I'm going to have a talk with him about that," Tonks said, "If not here, then for sure at the next Order meeting."  
  
"Actually," Hermione said, "Maybe you'd better not...knowing Snape, he's likely just to take it out on us afterwards."  
  
"I swear," Tonks said in frustration, "I don't know why Dumbledore keeps him on staff. He hasn't changed at all since I was here, by the sounds of it. I mean, having him work for the Order, fine! But he's a terror as a teacher!"  
  
"Oh, I agree," Hermione nodded.  
  
Tonks nibbled on the rest of her Snorkack, glancing at the open box full of the chocolates next to her. "I could really get addicted to these," she said. "What are they supposed to be, anyway?"  
  
"Oh, well, they're supposed to represent Crumple-Horned Snorkacks," Hermione said quickly, "They're myth - er, they're endangered animals, Luna and her dad sometimes go out looking for them in Sweden."  
  
"Oh yeah?" Tonks said, looking interested.  
  
"Happiness is a Swedish sunset," Luna chimed melodiously from behind her paper.  
  
Tonks turned to Hermione, looking slightly bemused, who smiled slightly and gave a half shrug.  
  
"Well, that's...nice," Tonks said, "How's Harry doing, anyway? I haven't seen him since I've been locked up in here."  
  
"Oh, well, he had...things on his mind," Hermione said, glancing at Luna, who was still reading her paper, "But I'm sure he'll drop by now that he's feeling better."  
  
"Well, good," the young Auror said, seeming to consider whether it was wise to indulge in another Snorkack so early in the morning. Her indecision lasted only a few moments before she picked out another one from the box. "Remus has been asking about him too. He hasn't had much of a chance to keep in touch, with the Ministry and all; he was really looking forward to seeing Harry at the Burrow during the holidays, actually, especially after Arthur Weasley had managed to convince him to drop by for Christmas. But you know Remus, he hates to tear himself away from his desk when he thinks there's still something left to do...he's going to work himself to an early grave that one, I swear."  
  
Luna's large silver eyes pooped up over the top of her newspaper. "You know Minister Lupin?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, sure," Tonks said, smiling at her, "He was in the Order before becoming Minister, you know. I still can't bring myself to call him 'Minister' though!"  
  
Luna continued to stare at Tonks, the sight of her intensely fixed eyes just barely visible over the top of the paper making Hermione work hard at suppressing a giggle. After several moments it became clear Tonks was beginning to feel distinctly awkward. "So...er, why do you ask?" she finally said in an effort to get Luna to do something other than gaze at her .  
  
"Oh well, I thought maybe he would know..." Luna said before raising the paper back up.  
  
"Know what?" Tonks asked before Hermione could warn her.  
  
Luna's eyes popped back up over the paper again. "Well, about the goblin pies, of course," she said dreamily, "I thought that since he must have access to the previous minister's old records..."  
  
"Goblin..." Tonks turned to look at Hermione, apparently not comprehending Luna's reference. "Oh I get it! Yeah, oh absolutely! There were mountains of goblin pies in his office when Remus went in and - " "She's serious," Hermione said, biting hard on her lip in an effort to keep a straight face. "She...believes that Fudge had goblins assassinated and stuffed into pies when he was trying to take over Gringotts."  
  
"It was in The Quibbler," Luna said proudly, pointing unnecessarily to the paper's logo.  
  
Tonks gaped at Luna, then Hermione, then Luna again. "Oh...well, I haven't heard Remus make mention of it...but, I'll, er, make sure to ask him next time I see him."  
  
Luna's paper rose up to cover her face once more. "Thank you," she said happily.  
  
The moment the paper obscured Luna's face Tonks turned to Hermione and gave a look of total bewilderment, to which the young Gryffindor had to stuff her knuckles into her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.  
  
A short time later they were interrupted by a rapping noise on the door to the hospital wing. It was early morning; Hermione couldn't understand why the person didn't just open the door and come in. "It's open!" Hermione called out after hearing a second burst of rapping at the door.  
  
Madam Pomfrey had gotten up from her desk at the far end of the wing and was making her way down towards the door, the intermittent rapping continuing all the while. "Yes, yes," she said impatiently, "You'd best have your hands full when I get there, whoever you are - "  
  
The moment she pulled on the handle she gave a start when she saw the black form of Nevermore standing at the foot of the door, having just been interrupted in his pecking by the sudden absence of a surface to knock on. "No flying in the hospital wing!!" Madam Pomfrey ordered as she saw the large black bird spread its wings expectantly.  
  
"Oh, look, it's a crow," Tonks remarked.  
  
"It's a raven, actually," Hermione corrected her.  
  
Luna dropped her paper and spun around. "Nevermore!" she cried happily, jumping up from her seat and running over to the door, crouching down to retrieve the letter from the raven's leg. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you...I don't have any treats with me at the moment, though, oh wait, yes - "  
  
She ran back to Tonks' bed and snatched a chocolate Snorkack from the box.  
  
"Will it eat that?" Tonks asked Hermione as Luna scampered back to give the treat to her raven.  
  
"It'll eat just about anything, I think," Hermione said. "Hey, when am I going to get out of here, by the way?" Tonks asked Madam Pomfrey as she walked by her bed, heading back to her desk. "I feel fine!"  
  
"Would you rather be at St. Mungo's?" the nurse called back.  
  
"No," Tonks said self-consciously. Hermione couldn't blame her; while rather deserted, the hospital wing here was infinitely more enjoyable to spending time in an actual hospital.  
  
"Letter from your dad?" Hermione asked as Luna took her seat and joyfully unrolled the parchment.  
  
"Yes, Finally! I've been waiting..." she said, as she started reading the letter.  
  
It took only moments however, for Luna's joyful expression to slowly fade from her face. In fact, her already pale colouration drained away as her eyes slowly widened, a look of horror coming over her features. "...no..." she whispered hoarsely.  
  
Hermione's felt her insides grow cold at Luna's expression. This was definitely not normal behaviour for the young Ravenclaw. "Luna, what is it? What's wrong?" she said, becoming very concerned.  
  
Luna slowly looked up at her, her face as white as the Grey Lady's, her large silvery eyes welling up with tears. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but her trembling lips voiced no sound. She very slowly extended a shaking hand to Hermione, who took the letter and quickly began to read:  
  
Dear Luna,  
  
I'm sorry it took so long to reply to your letter of the 21st instant,  
however your raven was very reluctant to part with it, seeing as I was  
not the intended recipient.  
  
I must confess to some confusion as to the contents of your letter, as  
from what I gathered you seem to be under the impression that your  
father is here; in fact I haven't seen him in years, last time being  
the Quidditch World Cup when it was held in the Netherlands, as I  
recall. I held onto your raven for several days, thinking he might be  
on his way and your letter simply outran him somehow. I didn't want to  
send your bird back without an answer from him, but since he hasn't  
shown up I'm assuming he must have realized his mistake and headed  
back home.  
  
Which brings me to my second item: I deduced from your letter that you  
are under the impression that I am deceased! I assure you, you have  
been most certainly misinformed. I expect that your father was on his  
was here to attend my 'funeral'? Well, rest assured if your father  
does show up I'll give him your letter and let him know about the  
misunderstanding...though I imagine the moment he sees me up and about  
he'll figure it out for himself!  
  
At any rate, it's nice to hear from you. I really should keep in  
better touch, I know, I wasn't even aware that Andrew had a daughter!  
  
Take care, and say hello to your mother for me,  
  
Uncle Randolph  
  
Hermione dropped the letter onto her lap and looked at Luna, who looked about ready to break down.  
  
"Oh...no...Luna..." 


	22. Luna's Year, Part XXII

"Oh dear, this is most unnerving," said Professor Flitwick, glancing up over his half-moon spectacles at Luna, her letter held in his tiny hands, "I can certainly understand your concern over this, Miss Lovegood."  
  
Hermione glanced at Luna, who was sitting quietly in the chair next to hers. Luna had been in an almost zombie-like state since leaving the infirmary; it had been all Hermione could do to convince Luna to accompany her to Flitwick's office, a heavily cluttered though rather ornate room, located next to McGonagall's in the teacher's wing.  
  
Overflowing bookcases lined the near wall, guarded by tall stacks of jumbled tomes piled high on the floor, the entire collection giving a decent run to the school library for its sheer volume of printed works. There were a multitude of unusual magical devices scattered throughout the room which Hermione could not for the life of her recognize; the overall impression she'd gathered was similar to the Headmaster's office, though in some serious need of organizing.  
  
The walls were decorated with a good number of paintings, Hermione recognizing the portrait of Glanmore Peakes, standing atop a large rock protruding from the sea, broadsword in hand and looking particularly heroic. Another caught her eye; a resplendent painting of a dryad, who'd been observing them with much interest since their arrival.  
  
The diminutive Charms teacher looked at Luna with concern. She in turn was staring blankly at a small bronze sculpture of a wizard riding a Pegasus atop his ancient oak desk, and hadn't shown any reaction thus far. Hermione wondered if she was even aware of the conversation...  
  
"As I understand it, he left for Germany the week before the Christmas holidays?" asked Flitwick, removing his spectacles and depositing them next to his ink well.  
  
Hermione nodded. "Yes," she affirmed, shifting slightly in the oversized plush armchair, which might have been large enough for Hagrid's use.  
  
"Well, I will bring this to Professor Dumbledore's attention immediately," said Flitwick in his squeaky voice, "He will do doubt owl the Ministry to begin an investigation into your father's disappearance, Miss Lovegood. Rest assured, everything will be done to locate him forthwith."  
  
He gazed at the young Ravenclaw, a look of sadness drawing upon his wizened features as it evidently occurred to him that his words weren't getting through.  
  
Hermione reached out and gently took Luna's hand in hers, Luna's gaze slowly drifting down to their intertwined fingers. She blinked once and seemed to emerge slightly from her delirium. "Thank you," she whispered.  
  
Flitwick sighed. Hermione could see he clearly cared much for the young Ravenclaw; she knew through Ginny that Flitwick had been made aware of the ill-treatment Luna received from her fellow housemates virtually every day, but every intervention had only caused the situation to worsen, despite his best intentions. Luna, to her credit, always seemed unaffected by it all, though the disappearance of her father was beyond anything she'd suffered at the hands of her schoolmates; it was clearly taking a toll.  
  
"Miss Lovegood," said Flitwick, "I will speak to the other teachers and arrange for you to be excused from classes for the rest of today, at least. If you like, I can arrange to have some relatives floo into Hogsmeade; you can spend the day with them there. I think it will do you well to have family to...Miss Lovegood?"  
  
She slowly raised her large silver eyes to his, opening her mouth to speak but was apparently having a difficult time articulating her thoughts at the moment. Hermione gently squeezed her hand.  
  
"Luna, I think Professor Flitwick's idea is really good, I think having family around would - oh no, what did I say?"  
  
Luna's shoulders were trembling slightly, as though fighting an impossibly difficult battle to keep her emotions from overcoming her.  
  
"I'd...rather stay here," she whispered.  
  
"Okay," said Hermione gently, "That's okay, Luna...Professor," she said, turning to Flitwick, "Could I...could Harry and I be excused from classes today also? I don't think she should be alone right now..."  
  
"You, Miss Granger? Excused from classes?" the little teacher looked positively stunned at hearing the bookish Hermione Granger utter such words, though he took only a minute to consider, "Goodness...I...well, yes, of course. Under the circumstances, I'm sure my colleagues will raise no objections."  
  
He turned to Luna. "Miss Lovegood, I believe your father published the Quibbler tabloid, did he not?"  
  
Hermione winced at Flitwick's use of the past tense in the mentioning of Luna's father. While he undoubtedly did it subconsciously, she feared it was driving home the wrong message to the young Ravenclaw.  
  
"Yes," answered Hermione quickly, "Yes he does." She put a strong emphasis on the last word, tilting her head slightly towards Luna.  
  
Flitwick looked at her curiously, seemingly befuddled by Hermione's odd intonation for a moment before he grasped her meaning. "Oh! Yes, of course, Miss Granger! I'm sure he - yes, well, I will advise his office that he will be...delayed from his trip and to plan accordingly. Now if you'll excuse me - "  
  
He dropped down from his chair, for a few moments only the top of his pointed cap being visible behind his desk until he'd made his way around to them. "I'll bring this matter to the Headmaster's attention and inform the staff. Please feel free to remain here as long as you like."  
  
"Thank you, professor," said Hermione gratefully as Flitwick came to the stand next to the large plush chair Luna was occupying, looking up at her with obvious concern.  
  
"Don't worry, Miss Lovegood," he said, patting her hand reassuringly, "He's only disappeared, after all, anything could - er, well, that is to say, he could be anywhere - oh, dear, that didn't come out right, either, well, I'm sure that everything will turn out..."  
  
Looking rather helpless, his tiny shoulders sagged as he turned and left the office, closing the door quietly behind him.  
  
Luna was staring blankly at Flitwick's vacated chair. Someone from afar might have mistaken it for her typical dreaminess; though with the mistiness gathering in her silver eyes, Hermione knew full well that her friend was running through a terrible gamut of emotions.  
  
They sat together in silence for a while, holding hands while Hermione waited patiently for Luna to emerge from her near trance-like state. After some time her Ravenclaw friend stirred slightly, still gazing at the desk before her.  
  
"...Daddy..." she whispered.  
  
Hermione gave a reassuring squeeze of her hand. "Don't worry, Luna," she said, a lump in her throat making her voice sound a bit odd, "Professor Dumbledore will have the Order out looking for him, I'm sure...he'll turn up, don't you worry..."  
  
Luna gave no reaction to Hermione's words, her misty eyes glazing over as she continued to stare at some distant, imaginary horizon.  
  
"...I can't lose him, Hermione..."  
  
Hermione's heart sank. She felt utterly useless at the moment; there was no plan percolating in her head, the brilliant ideas that typically came to mind in times of crisis were being frustratingly stubborn in making an appearance.  
  
"Would you like to go for a walk, Luna?" she suggested softly, "We can go outside, if you like. We can go look for...for Snorkack tracks, or - "  
  
Hermione trailed off. She knew there was nothing she could say to make Luna feel at all better, and she doubted if she was even grasping her words. But she couldn't leave her like this...  
  
"Luna," she said gently, "Is there anything at all..." she trailed off again as her own emotions threatened to overcome her. The last thing she wanted to do was to burst into tears here, lest it convey a message of hopelessness to her friend.  
  
Luna slowly turned to look at her, her silver eyes watery. "A walk would be nice, actually," she said in a quivering voice, "...but...there haven't been any sightings around here for ages...that's why we go to Sweden...you know..."  
  
Hermione's spirits lifted slightly at the sight of Luna's smile, pained though it so obviously was...  
  
* * *  
  
Harry wrapped his coat tightly around him before opening the door and emerging into the chilly night air, thankful that the wind had at last died down since midday. He gazed around the top of the Astronomy tower before his eyes finally settled on a small cloaked figure partly hidden behind one of the covered telescopes, sitting between two of the large stone battlements. Her back was to him, the familiar long, dirty blonde hair drifting down to mingle with the dry, powdery snow that blanketed the tower rooftop.  
  
He'd been searching the castle for Luna all day; no one had seen her since she'd returned to the Ravenclaw tower after a long walk with Hermione just before lunch. He'd even gone to check to see if she'd gone into the forest, though the absence of fresh tracks in the snow confirmed she hadn't. He'd been fortunate to run into Sir Nick while making his way to the owlery; the Gryffindor House ghost mentioned he'd seen Luna heading up the staircase to the Astronomy tower in the early afternoon. Harry had made his way up the spiral staircase half-expecting to find her long gone by now.  
  
He'd gotten the news about Luna's father from Ginny that morning shortly after breakfast; she'd ran straight from her charms class after having been notified by Professor Flitwick.  
  
After Hermione had returned at lunch he and Ginny had peppered her with questions, though there frustratingly few she could answer; all that was known for certain was that Luna's father had disappeared, after having been led away on apparently false pretenses.  
  
Harry was silently grateful that Hermione had been able to provide Luna with some reassuring company, but he'd nevertheless found himself increasingly worrying about her as his search had progressed without success through the late afternoon and evening, to the great irritation of the caretaker Filch, who'd been advised by the head of Ravenclaw House that Harry had an exemption to be out of classes for the day and essentially had the run of the castle.  
  
He slowly drew closer, the powdery snow crunching softly under his boots. He was amazed she was still here, as the temperature hadn't climbed above freezing all day long, and had certainly dropped even lower by now.  
  
He walked around the snow-dusted telescope and then saw how she'd managed to keep herself from freezing; her wand was tucked away behind her left ear, its tip a glowing hue of azure, evidently a milder version of Hermione's portable fire charm.  
  
Harry moved closer and peered over her shoulder, stopping in his tracks as spied a tiny, glowing ochre fairy hovering just in front of Luna, stretched out on her stomach as though lying in summer grasses, tiny arms folded beneath her chin, quietly staring at the young Ravenclaw with a look of worriment. Harry couldn't tell if they were communicating or not, though no audible words were to be heard.  
  
He froze, but the fairy had noticed his approach. She quickly fluttered up in alarm, Luna snapping her head round to him as her tiny friend disappeared out of sight into the darkness.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
"Er...sorry about that," he said, as he came to stand next to her. "Sir Nick said you might be up here, I didn't know you had...company."  
  
Luna stared up at him for a few moments before turning her gaze back to the distant forest. "That was Esmy," she said. "It was a bit odd, really...she's never come to the castle before."  
  
"I'm sorry I chased her off," he said regretfully. "I didn't know she was there until it was too late."  
  
Luna turned back to gaze up at him. "You're out past curfew, you know."  
  
Harry almost laughed. Curfew was the last thing on his mind right now. "Yeah I know," he said, "So are you, looks like we're both rebels tonight. Anyway, I was...worried."  
  
She continued to stare up at him, her expression blank.  
  
"Aren't you going to come in?" asked Harry. "You've been out here for hours, according to Sir Nick."  
  
"Oh, no," answered Luna quietly. "No, I think I'll stay out here for a while. I won't be able to sleep much tonight anyway."  
  
Harry hesitated. Her presence out here would tend to indicate a desire to be alone, but he couldn't bring himself to leave.  
  
"Well, in that case...may I?" he asked, indicating the space next to her.  
  
"Oh...yes," she said, moving over a little to make room for him as he took the little space left over next to her. It was a rather tight fit, as the space between the battlements had never really been conceived as a form of seating arrangement. He became immediately aware of his feet dangling in the air, with nothing beneath them other than a precipitous drop to the grounds far below. Though he was quite used to heights when playing Quidditch, he had his broom to rely on in those situations. Strangely, a slight sense of vertigo overtook him when he tried to peer down over the edge; he quickly resolved against repeating the attempt.  
  
They sat in silence for a time, Harry thinking that nothing he was likely to say would bring comfort to the girl; telling Luna everything would be all right would not be very convincing, especially as they knew so little about what had happened. In all honesty, things looked rather bleak at the moment, so far as her father was concerned, knowing full well that his disappearance was no accident.  
  
He took a deep breath. "Luna," he said with every ounce of sincerity within him, "I just want you to know, no matter what happens...I'm here for you...we all are."  
  
She was still gazing out into the darkness, showing no signs of having heard him, and for a moment Harry wondered if his words had fallen on deaf ears.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered finally, though her gaze didn't waver from an imaginary point in the distance.  
  
Harry was beginning to feel most inadequate. He was starting to wonder if Luna might not prefer to be alone, and that his presence might actually be more of a burden than a help; she did come and shut herself away out here for a reason, after all.  
  
He waited a while longer, before deciding that, loath as he was to leave her here by herself during such a time, it would probably be easier on her if he left her to her own thoughts...  
  
He shifted his weight as he gripped the top edge of the battlement to his left in careful preparation for rising from his precarious perch. "Well, I'd better - "  
  
Luna's hand flew out in a shot, grabbing hold of his right arm tightly, startling him.  
  
"Please don't go," she whispered, still staring straight ahead into the distance.  
  
He quickly settled back down onto his improvised seat. "I'm not," he said. "I'm right here."  
  
He felt her grip relax a little, though she did not release his arm. Harry was stunned that Luna had reacted so strongly; she'd always been a rather independent sort, preferring to just drift in and out of social occasions at her leisure. But the news of her father had clearly shaken her, and despite her isolation on the tower she plainly wanted him to stay.  
  
They continued to sit in silence for a while, at one time Harry catching sight of what appeared to be a Thestral rising up out of the woods in the distance. It circled lazily above the trees a few times, then just as quickly disappeared back down into the forest.  
  
"It's odd, you know," said Luna quietly, "How she knew..."  
  
Harry looked at her. "Um, how who knew?" he asked, breaking out of his daze.  
  
"Esmy," said Luna, "She just appeared out of the woods. They never come to the castle, you know."  
  
Harry wondered at that. But he'd witnessed Luna's interaction with the fairies firsthand; it had seemed to him that there was some sort of inexplicable connection there, quite apart from Luna's ability to understand their musical, chiming language. He wondered if that particular fairy had been able to somehow sense Luna's distress, even over such a distance.  
  
They both stared out into the starry night sky in silence. Harry noticed that Luna's gaze was fixed on one particular stellar constellation, though he could not for the life of him remember what it was called. When he finally spoke, he found that his voice sounded strangely distant.  
  
"What, er, constellation is that?" he asked softly.  
  
She was quiet for a few moments, before finally answering. "It's the Ram," she whispered.  
  
Harry looked again. Try as he might, he couldn't make out the form of it. Nothing about it suggested even a remote ram-like shape to him. Then again, astronomy wasn't exactly his strongest subject, and Luna did have a particular ability to see things rather clearly...  
  
"Is it? I mean, what does it - "  
  
"It's Daddy's sign," she said softly. "I was hoping...well..." she trailed off.  
  
Harry's heart sank. He'd never seen her at a loss for words.  
  
"Harry," she began again, "I'm rather worried..."  
  
She swallowed deeply before suddenly turned her gaze to him, her eyes misty with anguish. "If I lose Daddy...I don't know what I'll do...I just can't...when I lost Mum it was so..."  
  
Her voice was shaking; she closed her mouth as though mistrusting herself to say anything more without breaking down. Harry felt a pang in his chest; Luna was reaching out to him. She was lost, for possibly one of the few times in her life she was looking for solace...  
  
"Luna," he said gently, his own emotions threatening to come to the surface, "I think, maybe, you're forgetting something..."  
  
She stared at him intently with her large, glittering silver eyes, a mix of sadness and confusion crossing her moonlit features. Her mouth was open slightly, though she did not speak.  
  
Harry hesitated. He so desperately didn't want to say the wrong thing here. Luna was very fragile at the moment...but he also knew he was right...  
  
"Don't take this the wrong way," he said cautiously, "But I think that, maybe, you've lost faith..."  
  
He looked at her anxiously, looking for any hint of a reaction. An unfathomable expression crossed her face briefly, though it lasted for just an instant.  
  
She slowly shook her head, "I...I would never lose faith in Daddy," she said hoarsely, "How...can you..."  
  
"Not that way," said Harry quickly, "I didn't mean it in that sense. I meant it's like you've lost faith in him being alive..."  
  
She blinked. Harry could see her eyes flooding with just about every emotion under the stars.  
  
"You've always been one to make these great leaps of faith, but now you aren't, when it matters most...you believe in the existence of the Snorkack, right?  
  
She was gaping at him now, seemingly at a complete and utter loss for words.  
  
"Remember, last year?" he pressed on, "When you said you knew you'd see your mother again? Did you really believe in what you were saying?"  
  
She let out a sharp breath. "I did," she said.  
  
"Even though...she'd died six years ago," he said delicately.  
  
"Yes," she whispered.  
  
"Luna, you're one of the strongest people I know," said Harry. "I mean...well, I can't put it into words right now, but...it seems to me that you're worrying so much about your father being dead, that you've forgotten he might still be alive! The only thing we know for sure is that he's not where he's supposed to be!"  
  
Luna's eyes widened dramatically, Harry bracing himself for an incoming slap.  
  
Luna's hands moved, but not to strike him; rather, they covered her mouth in apparent shock, her eyes staring at him with a look of horror.  
  
"Luna? Are...are you okay?" he asked tentatively.  
  
"I have," she said, her eyes still wide, "Haven't I?"  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"Harry," she continued, slowly lowering her hands to her lap, "You're absolutely right. I did lose faith, didn't I? Everything Mum ever taught me...I've been dwelling on the worst possible outcome, blinded by it, really..."  
  
Harry's spirits lifted slightly, and not because he had avoided getting slapped in the face.  
  
"I can't imagine, how can I have been so...oh, I've been such a twit..." she prattled, scolding herself.  
  
"No you haven't," interjected Harry. "Everyone reacts badly every once in a while, only it's so unlike you."  
  
She was looking up at him with a look of what could best be described as awe, but not in the same sense that Colin or others looked at Harry as an almost larger-than-life character; it was more look of realization.  
  
She stared at him silently for a while, and when she finally spoke, her voice was noticeably calmer. "You know, Harry," she said, "I think you'd make a rather good Healer." Harry blinked. "Huh? Me?"  
  
She nodded. "Hermione was telling me that everything would be all right," she said, "But I just didn't hear..."  
  
"Well," said Harry, "Hermione can be kind of lecturing, sometimes."  
  
"No, it wasn't that," said Luna, "I love Hermione dearly, she's such a good friend, you know. But, well, our brains just don't mesh very well, sad to say. But I'm determined to try, regardless. But what you said..."  
  
She looked at him, a faint smile forming over her features.  
  
"...and of course, I know Daddy," she continued, "He's very clever...he likely saw what was going on the moment he arrived, I'd wager a cranberry muffin on it! I think whoever tried to trick him haven't been able to catch him, and that he's trying to find a floo hub somewhere to get back - "  
  
"Well, it's possible," said Harry, trying to picture how one would go about locating the local floo network in a foreign country. "I guess floo hubs aren't exactly advertised, are they?"  
  
"No, surely not!" exclaimed Luna, her voice becoming stronger. "And what's more, Daddy's German is quite atrocious; I remember once when he tried to give directions to an elderly German Muggle couple in Ottery St. Catchpole - he said something quite horrifying, judging from their reaction - but then, he's never been to Germany before, so that's not very surprising, really. And besides, Daddy's told me all about the first war twenty years ago; he never hides his victims, does he? That Voldemort fellow, I mean? He always leaves them out for everyone to find - "  
  
She trailed off, looking at him as though he'd suddenly apparated out of thin air. "What?" he asked, glancing quickly behind him to make sure she hadn't actually seen someone standing there. "What is it?"  
  
She kept staring at him, her expression quite indecipherable, until finally, she slowly reached out and straightened a part of his collar that was awkwardly folded in against his robes. "Well...I was just thinking of what Daddy told me once, when they found your parents that day."  
  
"Oh," he said, surprised that she probably knew more about that incident than he himself did. "I really don't remember much, except for a flash of green light. And even then, it's pretty hazy."  
  
"I know," she said. "That's why you couldn't see the Thestrals at first, because you couldn't remember." Harry nodded. "I suppose," he said, "It's just as well I can't remember any of it," he looked at Luna with an even stronger appreciation for what she'd gone through. "When your mother...how did you..."  
  
"Well, it was quite dreadful, actually," she said. "I had to send Percival to get Daddy. He was working at the Quibbler's head office in Diagon Alley at the time. Then I ran as fast as I could to the neighbours, but none of them were around, they'd all gone to that big Christmas fair just outside St. Catchpole. I was rather upset when I got back home to find Daddy there crying over her...I still think about it, sometimes."  
  
Harry was aghast. He couldn't imagine a more horrifying sight for a little nine year-old girl to behold -  
  
"That's...that's terrible," he stammered.  
  
She smiled faintly at him. Her eyes then lit up as she gazed up at him. "Harry, what was your Mum's name? I know your father's was James - "  
  
"You do?" asked Harry, surprised. "How'd you know?"  
  
"Well, that's easy," she said. "There are a bunch of Quidditch cups in the trophy room with his name on them, you know. You've seen them by now, haven't you?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," he said, suddenly feeling stupid, "I forgot."  
  
She stared at him expectantly, Harry taking several moments before realizing he hadn't answered her question.  
  
"Oh! Her name was Lily," he said finally, seeing Luna's eyes light up.  
  
She turned her eyes back towards the heavens, her familiar dreaminess slowly returning. "It's rather amazing, isn't it?" she voiced airily.  
  
"Uh, what's that?"  
  
"The Moon, look," she said, brushing her head up against his and pointing at the glowing orb with an extended finger along his line of sight, as though he were hopelessly nearsighted, even with glasses.  
  
"Er, yeah, there it is, all right," said Harry, somewhat befuddled by abrupt change in subject. "I never really thought of it as 'amazing', though. Guess I've just gotten used to seeing it up there."  
  
"That's not really what I meant," she said, her voice slightly mirthful, Harry noted with satisfaction, "I was thinking about how amazing it is that people have actually been there. I'd love to go see, but apparently only Muggles have gone...no wizards ever have, you know."  
  
"Oh, yeah," said Harry. To him, having lived over half his life in the Muggle world, the Moon landings were rather 'old hat'.  
  
"They never said if they saw any Elysian Snoogs while they were up there, though..."  
  
"Huh? Snoogs?"  
  
Luna nodded knowingly. "They're the only creatures indigenous to the Moon, you know. I imagine the Muggles didn't see any; I'm sure it would have been in the news if they had."  
  
"Heh...well, I wouldn't doubt it. Snoogs... yeah..."  
  
"You know, when Daddy published the story in the Muggle History section of the Quibbler a few years back a lot of people didn't believe him, but of course they were mostly isolationists. They never have anything to do with Muggle society anyway. Still, though," she said pensively, "I'd love to go visit there one day. Knowing Muggles though, it's probably very expensive."  
  
Harry laughed. "Yeah," he said, "It would be pretty expensive. And I don't think they're taking tourists any time soon. But save your galleons!"  
  
For an instant Harry was struck by the particular beauty of the scene before him. Luna was bathed in a bewitching combination of willowy light from her stellar namesake and the soft azure glow from her wand, giving her a decidedly mystical appearance. She was lovely, he realized, the thought striking him rather awkwardly.  
  
But then, Hermione had seemed to hint that he felt - no, of course she was dreaming, he mused, quickly dismissing such thoughts from his mind. Sure, he was protective of Luna. As he was of all his friends. It was because of him they'd all been put in the line of fire, after all. And he'd never reacted to Luna the way he had with Cho, who had always managed to make his heart flutter; which was not to say Luna wasn't pretty, as she was, in her own, slightly rustic way. But there was none of the intestinal contortions going on inside him when Luna was around. His relationship with her was much more comfortable, just like that with Hermione, or Ron.  
  
But then...he'd erupted so violently the previous night. He'd even felt rather embarrassed about it afterwards, realizing in hindsight how much he'd overreacted. But no, it was just Hermione's mothering instinct that was causing her to perceive things incorrectly. He wondered what Ron would think of such a theory; Think she's gone off the deep end?, Harry would ask.  
  
Too right she has, nutters, even, Ron would likely reply.  
  
But then he looked at Luna again, and found himself staring...  
  
"Oh look," said Luna dreamily, interrupting his train of thought, "There's another Thestral."  
  
Harry turned his gaze out to the treetops but could see nothing out of the ordinary; it took several seconds for him to finally catch sight of, slowly beating its wings and silhouetted against the brilliant moon. It was much higher in the sky that the earlier one had been. He wondered what made them rise up in the sky in seemingly random fashion like that. They couldn't be hunting, could they? They were much too big to live off bugs, and at any rate it was midwinter, there were no flying insects to be found. Bats, perhaps? Hopefully not owls!  
  
"Thanks, Harry," Luna said softly beside him, after they'd watched the winged form in silence for a while, "I do feel rather better..."  
  
Harry sincerely hoped that her father was alive, not just for his sake but also the sickening thought of how hard it would be on Luna if he wasn't. He'd managed, quite unexpectedly, to bring her hope; and for now, she clung tightly to it. But if her father was truly gone...  
  
"I think it's coming this way," said Luna dreamily, causing Harry to turn his attention back to the flying Thestral in the distance.  
  
Watching it for a while, he realized it was flying in a straight line, quite an unusual path for a Thestral, who normally flew in great, lazy circles. Luna was right, it was growing larger, apparently making straight for them. The more he watched, the more a sense of unease began to grow within him. Thestrals never came to the castle on their own, only when Hagrid summoned them to pull the school carriages.  
  
Harry began to shift uncomfortably. He squinted, adjusting his glasses to get the sharpest view possible. His sense of caution slowly gave way to foreboding...this was no Thestral, he realized. It was much larger, thicker in body than the skeletal flying horses, with rather reptilian wings, different from the bat-like appendages which adorned Hagrid's beasts.  
  
And there was no longer any doubt; it was definitely heading straight for them. And what was more, he realized with dread, it was carrying a rider -  
  
They had to get out of here, now, he realized.  
  
He quickly jumped to his feet, realizing in horror and much too late, that this was no chair he was sitting on - "AAARRRGGHH!!!" he screamed instinctively, as he tumbled over the edge of the tower.  
  
He felt a sudden, painful jerk oh his arm and shoulder as he stopped a few feet below the tower's roofline; he glimpsed something blue and glowing brushing his hair and falling past his eyes. He looked up.  
  
Luna was holding onto one of his coat sleeves in desperation, lying on her stomach and herself perilously close to falling over, long strands of stray dirty blonde hair falling into his face, tickling him.  
  
He felt himself drop a little in his robes, his free arm held at his side being the only thing keeping him from slipping straight out of his coat to the ground below. He felt himself drop a couple of inches, looking up in horror and realizing that Luna was slowly being dragged slowly over the edge, her knuckles white with strain as she maintained an iron-like grip on his sleeve. He had to act quickly.  
  
He raised his free arm to try and get to his wand, though the moment he did so he felt his shoulder slip partly out his sleeve and he slid further down into his coat, thrusting his arm back down hastily lest he slip straight out. There was no way he could get to his wand like this -  
  
He glanced up. Luna was grimacing with the effort of supporting his weight, but it was a losing battle; she was simply too light, the forces of gravity were hard at work now, and the laws of physics couldn't be rewritten without his wand. Or hers, he realized, as he saw it was no longer stowed behind her ear. He tucked his chin against his chest and looked down; sure enough, a soft blueish light was emanating forlornly from the ground a hundred or so feet below him.  
  
He felt them slip another few inches over the edge. He heard some fabric tear above him, looking up to see his sleeve slowly ripping apart just below Luna's grip.  
  
"Luna, let go!" he said, realizing that if she didn't she'd fall over with him in a matter of seconds.  
  
"Give me your other hand, Harry, I can't hold you!!!" cried Luna, desperately trying to regain her grip on his shredding sleeve.  
  
He felt another lurch as Luna slipped further over the edge. "No!!" he yelled, "You can't hold both - Luna, LET GO!!!"  
  
But she ignored his request, instead lurching forward to try and grip his sleeve below the widening tear, but in so doing her waist slipped over the edge of the tower and he fell sharply further. He stopped about a foot lower, but he could feel himself slipping down lower, little by little, as Luna was being dragged over inexorably with him. He tried to shake his arm violently in a desperate bid to work himself loose, to no avail. He then raised his free hand but kept it out of Luna's reach, feeling himself slipping out of his coat until he felt Luna's shaking hands gripping themselves tightly around his hand; her grip was slipping against his cold skin...he could see her struggling to keep her legs splayed between the stone battlements to keep from slipping further, but it was hopeless; he could see it, why couldn't she??  
  
"LUNA, PLEASE!!" He cried, "YOU CAN'T HOLD BOTH OF US! LET GO!"  
  
She shook her head, her long pale hair now falling down all about him, stray strands brushing against his face, feeling rather ticklish in spite of his desperate situation. He shook his arm again, feeling her grip slip from his wrist, only to clench even tighter around his fingers, rather painfully...he had only to shake his arm again...  
  
He glanced down at the ground far below, and for an instant recalled Luna's retelling of her spectacular fall at the tender age of six, while trying to imitate the flight of a Nightingale. She'd broken thirty-two bones that day and very nearly perished; he wondered if he would be able to break that record...  
  
They slipped again, further over the edge.  
  
He shook.  
  
"HARRY, NO!!!" She cried.  
  
Then he heard it. A terrifying, reptilian screech from very near them. He twisted his head around as he felt himself slip another few inches - Luna was at the very end of her tether now -  
  
His eyes widened as he saw the huge flying beast flap its wings one last time before settling into a glide, scaly talons on both feet bared menacingly as it bore down on them - 


	23. Luna's Year, Part XXIII

"LUNA!! LET GO!!"  
  
Harry shook his arm in desperation. If he could just break away, Luna just might have a chance -  
  
It hit him with the force of a rogue bludger. He felt the creature's powerful talons seize his arm as an eagle would snatch up a hapless field mouse, its hold on him painfully tight as he jerked up violently. Luna was likewise drawn up, as she was still determinedly clinging to his other hand.  
  
To Harry's surprise, the beast almost immediately released its hold, causing him to fall back awkwardly onto the tower rooftop, his frantic flailing knocking over one of the telescopes. Luna crashed down beside him, her grip broken at last by the sheer force of the impact.  
  
Harry took only a moment to recover, scrambling to his feet. The shadowy form of the large creature was flapping its wings rapidly, sending gusts of wind and snow blowing through Harry's dishevelled hair. It slowly settled itself down on the other side of the tower across from him.  
  
Harry quickly pulled his wand from his robes while trying to make out this strange beast before him. It hadn't attacked him, against all expectations, though he dared not lower his guard.  
  
It looked somewhat familiar, now that he could see its general shape more clearly. It almost looks like...could it be? He thought.  
  
He took a tentative step towards the large beast. "Uh...Buckbeak?"  
  
The animal did not react. Its rider climbed down, standing aside his mount for a moment, gazing at Harry.  
  
Though Harry could only detect a faint outline, there was a familiarity to the figure. Harry's eyes widened. It...it can't be!  
  
But then, the last time he'd seen Buckbeak was at Grimmauld Place, when his Godfather was still alive. Harry took another halting step towards the figure.  
  
"S-Sirius?!?" he stammered.  
  
"Oh, it is you, Harry," a familiar voice intoned, the figure patting the flank of his mount affectionately. "I guess I should've figured as much, when I saw you hanging there. What exactly were you doing, anyway?"  
  
"Lumos," uttered Harry, his wand lighting up brilliantly, bathing the tower rooftop in a soft light.  
  
The familiar face of Remus Lupin came into view as he reached up and drew back the hood of his cloak. "Good lord, you're a mess!" he said, laughing, as he glanced at Harry's torn sleeves. Harry noticed Lupin still wore his old dilapidated coat; evidently having been appointed Minister of Magic hadn't gone to his head.  
  
"Oh, by the way," continued Lupin, "You dropped something as I was coming in. It looked like - yep, there it is, see?"  
  
He'd moved to the tower's edge and was peering over the battlements at Luna's glowing wand lying half-buried in the snow down below. "Is that a wand?"  
  
"Uh, yeah," said Harry, "It's Luna's." He had a myriad questions he wanted to pose to his former teacher -  
  
He turned back to Luna only to find her lying in the exact spot where she'd fallen, unmoving. "Luna? Are you - "  
  
A chill quite above and beyond the wintery season's shot through him. He bounded back to her, aghast at the sight of a pool of blood slowly permeating the snow around her head. He dropped to his knees, being only vaguely aware of Lupin summoning up Luna's wand behind him.  
  
"NO!!"  
  
He turned her over onto her back, immediately detecting a very bad cut on her right temple where she'd impacted with great force, likely on some hard corner of the brass telescope they'd fallen over.  
  
"Harry??" called out Lupin as he quickly made his way over to him. "Oh, Merlin's - Buckbeak, stay here!" He called back to his mount before kneeling down and picking up the young Ravenclaw in his arms, a Mobilicorpus charm being unnecessary as she was quite light.  
  
"The infirmary, Harry, hurry. Open the doors for me, will you?"  
  
They rushed her down to the Hospital Wing, passing Ernie MacMillan in the main hall, on one of his prefect patrols. As Harry had been in the lead, he'd at first asked him what he was doing out after curfew, but the sudden unexpected sight of the Minister of Magic carrying a seriously injured student provoked an immediate change in mindset. He quickly stepped aside and followed along quietly.  
  
Madam Pomfrey had ordered them all out of the Hospital Wing, though not before Tonks had begged Lupin to get her an early release. Harry had protested loudly about having to leave Luna's side, only finally agreeing to do so when the nurse had informed him that she was in no longer in any danger, and needed a good night's rest.  
  
"What was that all about?" asked Ernie the moment they'd closed the door behind them, eyeing Harry curiously. "Are there Death Eaters around??"  
  
"No," answered Harry rather tiredly, suddenly feeling quite exhausted, "I - she - well, it's a long story..."  
  
Ernie nodded, but gave no sign of leaving. Lupin seemed to clue in on Harry's reluctance to go into details, giving a slight cough.  
  
"Well, if you'll excuse us," he said, to Harry's relief, "We really must be off to see the Headmaster. He'll be waiting."  
  
"Oh!" exclaimed Ernie upon being addressed by the Minister of Magic. "Yes, of course, please, don't let me, er - " he stepped aside hurriedly, backing into the wall and hitting his head painfully on the base of an iron sconce.  
  
They marched off, Tonks waiting until they were out of earshot before turning to Harry, maintaining her brisk pace. "What were you doing up there, by the way? Practising some sort of spell?"  
  
"No, I just slipped," said Harry, "I thought Buckbeak was a - well I didn't really know what to make of him. He looked a bit like a small dragon in the dark. Anyway, I hope she's going to be all right..."  
  
He glanced back over his shoulder in the direction of the Hospital Wing, though they were well out of sight of it now.  
  
"Don't worry," said Lupin reassuringly. "Poppy's seen a lot worse, I can tell you. Your friend might have a bit of a headache come morning, but she'll be fine."  
  
Harry truly wanted to allow himself to be soothed by Lupin's words. But the sight of Luna lying in a pool of her own blood had imprinted in his mind, and was still sending shivers down his spine. The knowledge that she was in no danger did little to ease his worry.  
  
"A dragon, you thought?" asked Lupin a while later. "Well, I know Charlie Weasley's working really hard with them in Romania, but we're still nowhere near being able to ride them, you know. Mad-Eye says it's hopeless: 'You can't do anythin' with 'em!' he keeps telling me."  
  
Harry allowed himself a smile at Lupin's rather good imitation of Mad-Eye Moody's growling speech. "Hey, what are you doing here, anyway?" asked Harry suddenly. With everything that had just transpired, he'd quite managed to overlook the fact that Remus Lupin had appeared at Hogwarts riding Sirius' former mount. "I mean, I'm really glad you came when you did, but I wasn't expecting - "  
  
"Oh, well, I got an owl from Dumbledore this morning," said Lupin. "We could have spoken through the floo network, I suppose, but we thought it best if you were there. And besides, Buckbeak needed his exercise. I hadn't taken him up for a few days; I never realized how much maintenance a hippogriff needed, let me tell you."  
  
"You want me at that meeting? Shouldn't you be talking to Luna? It's about her father's disappearance, isn't it?"  
  
"Well, yes," admitted Lupin, turning into the long, vaulted corridor that bordered the inner courtyard, the entrance to Dumbledore's office beckoning at the far end. "We wanted both of you there, actually. But I hadn't anticipated finding her... well, unconscious, when I got here."  
  
Harry's face reddened. He felt bad enough as it was. Luna's stubborn refusal to let go had made him all too aware of the potential repercussions of his rash actions. He was the only reason she was laid up in a hospital bed at this very moment, after all.  
  
"Well, you'll have to fill her in later," continued Lupin before pausing in the corridor. He rummaged through his old coat and pulled out Luna's wand. He seemed to consider it briefly before handing it to Harry. "And you can give this back to her for now, anyway."  
  
He resumed his march, Harry and Tonks scambling to catch up.  
  
"What do you mean, for now?" Harry asked, putting the wand away in his robes.  
  
Lupin paused again. He turned to look at Harry and seemed about to explain, then evidently thought better of it. "Well...Dumbledore knows more about it than I do," he said, "I think it's best if he explained it."  
  
I hope so, Harry thought, recalling how the Headmaster had been reluctant to share information with him the previous year. Of course, that mas partly mitigated by Harry being an unwitting eye for Voldemort, but still! He'd wondered all throughout the following summer, with lingering anger and resentment, if Sirius might have met a different fate had Harry known everything.  
  
They resumed their march, the stone gargoyle looming closer.  
  
"Hey, I just realized," said Harry, "Buckbeak isn't under sentence of death anymore?"  
  
Lupin looked sideways at him. "You think I would've let that judgement stand?" he said, "That was one of the first things I did when I took office. That, and change the carpeting; Merlin only knows what went on in that office. Anyway, that was all Umbridge's doing. About Buckbeak, I mean. She's the one who petitioned the Wizengamot on behalf of Lucius Malfoy a couple of years ago, though I imagine you didn't know that little fact. She has quite the prejudice against magical creatures and...half-breeds."  
  
Harry glanced at Lupin, knowing he didn't much care for the term. Though he wasn't technically a 'half-breed', the term had been used by Umbridge and others to persecute all lycanthropes during Fudge's reign of mismanagement.  
  
"Anyway, Sirius bequeathed him to me in his testament," Lupin continued. "Which reminds me, I'll have to talk to you about that..."  
  
Harry wondered what Lupin could possibly be referring to; so far as he knew, Sirius had been quite destitute, having escaped from Azkaban with little more than the clothes on his back. Of course, he'd inherited Grimmauld Place, but still. The place served as the Headquarters of the Order and little else.  
  
In any event, Harry didn't want any more money. He already had plenty from his parents, and he'd never outgrown his deep-rooted discomfort about spending their galleons on himself.  
  
They reached the end of the long hall and stood before the granite gargoyle. Harry noticed Lupin was looking rather embarassed.  
  
"Well, this is a fine pickle," said Lupin sheepishly. "I can't remember the password. I knew I should have brought along Dumbledore's note."  
  
All three looked at each other hopefully. It took only a moment for them to realize that none knew the password.  
  
"Well...'Sherbert Lemon'," suggested Harry. Maybe he re-uses them after awhile, he thought. The resolutely unmoving gargoyle told him otherwise.  
  
"There should really be a doorbell here," said Tonks wishfully.  
  
They tried a few more passwords, when suddenly the stone gargoyle began to rotate. Harry prepared to hop aboard but held off when he saw the statue was spiralling downwards. Someone was coming down form the Headmaster's office.  
  
The staircase came to a stop; they were greeted by Professor McGonagall, who barely batted an eye at finding them standing around the entrance to the Headmaster's office.  
  
"Well, what are you all standing around here for?" she said as she eyed them, "You're a bit late to serenade me with a holiday choir, I should think! Very well, come along then. You too, Mr. Potter, I was just about to fetch you and Miss Lovegood."  
  
"Actually Professor, she's indisposed at the moment," said Lupin, saving Harry the trouble of having to explain how the Ravenclaw had ended up in the hospital wing. McGonagall raised an eyebrow but made no comment, instead turning around to face the staircase.  
  
"Argyle socks," she then uttered, as the stairs began moving upwards once more.  
  
They all clambered aboard the rotating stone staircase as it carried them to the upper level, until they came to stand before the massive oak doors that led to Dumbledore's office. Harry heard the muffled voices of what he assumed must be the various portraits in the midst of one of their late night discussions. At McGonagall's knock, the voices died away quickly, as the doors opened silently on their own.  
  
Professor Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, two plush chairs before it currently occupied by Snape and Flitwick; a third empty chair Harry guessed had been McGonagall's. A small silver pendulum stood on the centre of the desk, obviously of some importance to the matter being discussed, but as to its significance Harry couldn't even hazard a guess. He glanced up as he entered the short arched entryway leading into the circular office, noting the numerous portraits of previous Headmasters lining the walls were all busily feigning sleep, though Harry knew very well by now it was all an act, of course. He supposed though, that he preferred they maintain the act as opposed to having them all openly ogling him.  
  
"Back so soon, Professor McGonagall?" said Dumbledore, just before catching sight of the rest of the group behind her. "Ah, Remus, Harry..."  
  
Dumbledore stood and beckoned them in. "Do enter, please. Miss Tonks, I'm particularly pleased to see you up and about."  
  
"Well, thanks," said Tonks, "I could've gotten out a lot sooner if it wasn't for Madam Pomfrey though; I swear she still thinks I'm a student! I'd still be there if Remus hadn't come along when he did."  
  
"Well, Poppy's quite protective of her charges," said Dumbledore, giving a tiny flick of his wand as three more large plush chairs appeared out of thin air around his desk, "A practice I'm not verily inclined to discourage, especially of late." He indicated for his new guests to take their seats, then seemed to hesitate a moment, looking about his office.  
  
"I see Miss Lovegood is not present," he observed, looking to McGonagall. "This concerns her a great deal."  
  
"She's, er, in the hospital wing," ventured Harry, seeing Fawkes on his perch behind the desk eyeing him curiously.  
  
McGonagall snapped her head around sharply. "She's where??" she asked, her severe gaze causing even Lupin to look slightly embarrassed. "You said she was indisposed, as I recall, Mister Lupin. What precisely happened, may I ask, to land her in the infirmary?"  
  
Harry sighed. He supposed he'd have to explain it eventually anyway. "We were outside, on top of the Astronomy tower," he said wearily. "I slipped over the side, and she tried to keep me from falling over. Anyway, Buckbeak kept us from falling, but when he dropped us she banged her head pretty badly on a telescope..."  
  
"Don't worry," interjected Lupin quickly at the sight of McGonagall's shocked expression, "Madam Pomfrey said she'll be fine after a good night's rest. I just didn't think it would be good for her to be here, considering."  
  
"Ah, yes, of course," said Dumbledore as he seated himself. "Well, it is perhaps best she not be burdened this night, in that event. You are all aware buy now, I trust, of the disappearance of her father, Andrew Lovegood?"  
  
Once he'd ascertained that everyone indeed had, the Headmaster reached into his star-speckled lavender robes and withdrew a slightly crumpled parchment, setting it on the desk before him.  
  
"Very well. Early this afternoon," he continued, "This message was delivered by owl to the Ravenclaw girl's dormitory. Although I must reiterate my disapproval of the opening of personal mail by one's fellow students, it was perchance fortuitous in this particular instance. The contents of the letter compelled the student in question to bring it to the attention of Professor Flitwick, who immediately thereupon entrusted it to me."  
  
Dumbledore's gaze fell upon Harry. "It is, perhaps fortunate," he said gently, "That Miss Lovegood cannot be here at this time."  
  
Harry's pulse quickened. A sense of dread quickly spread through him. Had there been some news? Did they find her father, then? Was he...  
  
"This is a demand," continued Dumbledore heavily, "From none other than the Dark Lord himself. It is addressed to Miss Lovegood, and proposes an exchange of her wand in return for her father's life."  
  
Tonks gasped. Harry's stomach threatened to seep out his toes.  
  
"Headmaster," said Snape quietly, after several moments of shocked silence, "You are of course aware, of the danger that wand could pose were it to come into the Dark Lord's possession?"  
  
Harry's ire immediately rose to the surface. He couldn't believe that any teacher, even Snape, would be so quick to condemn Luna's father to death.  
  
"It's not your decision!" He blurted out hotly. "She's not even in your House! You can't - "  
  
"Mr. Potter!" warned McGonagall, "Please control yourself!"  
  
Harry felt Tonk's reassuring hand on his shoulder, as he and Snape exchanged glares. "We cannot allow sentimentality to cloud our judgement," said Snape coldly before turning back to Dumbledore. "In any event, it's more than likely the man is already dead; we daren't assume the Dark Lord would be one to keep his word."  
  
Harry felt a powerful urge to rise from his chair and punch the Potions Master in the face, but Tonk's hand was both comforting and restraining. She was no doubt well aware of the ire between the two.  
  
"While I agree," stated Dumbledore sagely, "Of being wary of allowing our sentiments to dictate our actions, I also must emphasize that the ultimate decision on this matter can only be made by Miss Lovegood herself."  
  
Harry felt a different kind of emotion running through him now; putting such a burden on Luna's shoulders was unthinkable. "But Professor," he blurted, "You can't ask her to - I mean - "  
  
"Precisely my point," interrupted Snape. "The child will be quite unable to make a prudent decision given the stakes, and will undoubtedly choose to save her father regardless of the potential consequences."  
  
"We really shouldn't jump to any conclusions," Flitwick chimed in with his squeaky voice, "While there is a certain - perception - among the student body that Miss Lovegood is rather...'detached' from reality, nothing is further from the truth. She is both very cognisant and well aware of all that goes on around her. We should not assume anything concerning her decision."  
  
Dumbledore nodded sagely. "Naturally," he said, "Which is why I've asked Minister Lupin to - "  
  
"Please," said Lupin, putting up his hands deferentially, "Not the 'M' word."  
  
"Of course," amended Dumbledore smoothly, "I've asked Remus to help us devise a third option."  
  
"You intend a rescue mission, Headmaster?" asked Snape doubtfully.  
  
"If one were possible, yes, of course," said Dumbledore. "That would be one option. Although I must confess that I am quite at a loss as to where Mr. Lovegood may be being held. All I have tried has come up rather short, I'm afraid. I am under the impression that he may be being kept at an unplottable location. As far as I am aware, Mr. Lovegood left for Germany using the Floo hub at the Main Ministry terminal, is that correct?"  
  
"That's right," said Lupin, "The records show that he used the Continental European branch of the International Floo Hub, at just past one in the afternoon on the twenty-first of last month."  
  
"And that," said Dumbledore gravely, "Are his last known whereabouts. He was intending to proceed to Leipzig to help administrate a testament for some distant relatives, if I recall correctly. That, I am afraid, are the only facts known to us to this point."  
  
"Can't you - " started Harry, suddenly becoming aware of everyone's eyes on him. His discomfort increased as he realized he was the only student present in this entourage. Nevertheless, he pressed on, the thought of Luna lying in the hospital wing spurring him on.  
  
"Can't you start looking around Leipzig, then? I mean, if that's where he was last seen..."  
  
Lupin smiled sadly at him. "Oh, don't worry, Harry," he said, "We've got Ministry officials and members of the Order snooping around over there right now. But the fact is, I doubt very much they'd make the mistake of holding him anywhere near where he allegedly disappeared."  
  
"That is indeed most unlikely," agreed Dumbledore. "However, we may as yet uncover some inadvertent clue that may aid us. We must not give up hope during this time, Harry. Professor Flitwick," he said, turning to the Charms teacher, "Tomorrow morning, if Miss Lovegood has recovered sufficiently, I shall like to pay her a visit."  
  
"Er..." said Harry hesitantly. Dumbledore wasn't going to dump all this on Luna's shoulders, was he? She'd already suffered through a truly terrible day; Harry hated to think what this news would do to her.  
  
"Yes, Harry?" said Dumbledore.  
  
"Professor," he began, "Do you think it's a good idea, I mean, to...well, she's been through so much already - "  
  
"She must be told, Harry," said Dumbledore gravely. "If not tomorrow, then certainly soon. The letter indicated that should there be no reply by the next new moon, Mr. Lovegood's life would then be forfeit."  
  
"I...I understand that," said Harry, "It's just...could you let me tell her? She's going to be very upset, I don't want her to be hit by a ton of bricks - "  
  
"I was hardly going to do that, Harry," said Dumbledore, "I am rather fond of Miss Lovegood myself. But I believe I understand your wish, and shall let you proceed as you see fit."  
  
"Thank you," said Harry after a moment, genuinely surprised that no one had objected. Then again, having to tell anyone such terrible news was not something to be envied.  
  
"Very well then," nodded Dumbledore. "Off you go."  
  
Harry blinked. Was that it? They weren't going to discuss their plans in front of him? What, did Dumbledore think he was still serving as Voldemort's eyes? But he hadn't had a single nightmare since the start of the semester! And he'd completed his Occlumency lessons successfully, so why was he being asked to leave?  
  
"Is there something you wished to add, Mr. Potter?" asked McGonagall after he'd remained unmoving in his chair for several moments.  
  
"Er...no," he said, rising from his chair. He just wanted to listen, couldn't they understand that?  
  
"Well, goodnight, then," he said reluctantly.  
  
As he was making his was back through the short hall leading to the stone gargoyle, Harry caught sight of a familiar figure clad in green and silver robes moving from portrait to portrait, following him as he went.  
  
"What are you looking at?" asked Harry just as he reached the large oak doors leading out.  
  
"Well, aren't we in a bit of a snit?" said Phineas Nigellus, raising an eyebrow slyly. "I thought it was rather obvious, seeing as you're the only one standing there. But then, you're a Gryffindor, aren't you? Brave, perhaps, but not exactly known for their brains, are they? And from what I've been gathering around here, it seems you've gotten you and your friends in quite a mess of prickly situations lately."  
  
Harry felt his temper rising. He didn't need to be lectured about the danger he'd put his friends though, especially from a portrait! He'd kicked himself quite enough, thank you very much. "Look, just...bugger off, why don't you?" Harry shot up hotly at the former Headmaster.  
  
Nigellus gave a greatly exaggerated look of shock. "Well, that certainly put me in my place," he said dryly. "I only hope I can recover from that devastating rebuke someday."  
  
"Do you have a point?" Harry asked brusquely, "Or are you just here to irritate me?"  
  
"Goodness, not much for the social niceties, are we?" said Nigellus, rubbing his goatee pensively between thumb and forefinger. "You know, if you'd been a student in my day, you'd have gotten detention for that. But then, children your age were so much better behaved back then. Ah, how I miss the Victorian age."  
  
"I'm not a child!" protested Harry, his anger building up dangerously, "I'm - oh, forget it, I'm leaving!"  
  
He pulled open the double doors and descended the staircase.  
  
He'd gotten about halfway down the hall before hearing Nigellus' familiar sarcastic voice emanate from one of the paintings along the wall. "You know, it's very easy to see how your impetuousness keeps landing you in trouble. After all - "  
  
"Listen!" said Harry, turning on his heel. "Are you going to follow me all the way back to Gryffindor tower?"  
  
"And he's rude, to boot," said Nigellus, addressing an old alchemist working over a myriad collection of colourful beakers and potions, "I wonder why Dumbledore - "  
  
"Oh, that's it!" said Harry, reaching up and turning the magically floating portrait around to face the wall. Nigellus casually strolled into the next portrait to his right, the princess therein hastily making room for him.  
  
"Well, that was extremely clever," said Nigellus. "That positively stumped me, I must say. Would have confounded even the brightest Ravenclaw, I should think. It took at least a good second or two before figuring a way past your brilliant plan, but by some miracle of providence I somehow managed - "  
  
"WHAT DO YOU WANT??" yelled Harry, no longer bothering himself with any shred of decorum.  
  
"Ah, yes," said Nigellus casually, "I was wondering when you were going to finally ask that. I thought you might like to know, there have been some rather peculiar goings-on lately over at Grimmauld Place. You may wish to speak to the Headmaster about it."  
  
"Huh?" said Harry, caught off guard by this unexpected bit of news. He hadn't been to Grimmauld Place since the death of his Godfather. "What kind of things?" " 'Peculiar', I believe, was the word I used," said Nigellus thoughtfully. "Yes, quite peculiar indeed."  
  
"How would you know?" asked Harry, "The only time I saw you there was when Dumbledore sent you. And even then you only went kicking and screaming!"  
  
"Kicking and screaming? Moi?" said Nigellus, "I don't recall doing any such thing. At any rate, we can come and go as we please between paintings, you know. We don't have to wait for someone to ask us. We know just about everything that goes on around here, actually. Not that we're naturally inclined to share it with students, of course."  
  
"Oh really," said Harry skeptically, "Why should I believe that? Who would bother to tell anything to a painting?"  
  
Nigellus put his hand to his heart and gave an exaggeratedly pained look. "Oh, thou hast wounded me with thy spiteful words thou hast sprouted," he said mournfully, "But, you are quite right. Actually, we get most of our information by, shall we say, 'overhearing'."  
  
"Eavesdropping," corrected Harry.  
  
"Semantics," said Nigellus, waving a hand indifferently. "Call it what you will. Like your little escapade in the forest, with the Moon Fairies, for instance. As I recall, that was supposed to be a secret, wasn't it?"  
  
Harry's eyes widened. Had that become common knowledge?  
  
"How'd you know about that?" he asked sharply.  
  
"Oh, no need to get your briefs in a knot," said Nigellus, "You were making your little speech right below Beatrix Bloxam's painting in the staircase. Had you just looked up you might have seen her there. But of course, your attention was rather, ah - diverted - at the time, wasn't it?"  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Harry hotly.  
  
"Oh, nothing," said Nigellus insidiously, stroking his dark beard and rolling his eyes, "Nothing at all."  
  
"Listen," said Harry, waving his finger at the portrait, "I don't want you going around telling people about the fairies, all right? That was supposed to be - "  
  
" - a secret, yes," Nigellus finished. "Not to worry, we paintings don't make a habit of spreading gossip to the students, you know. Otherwise, their tongues might not be so loose next time they started chatting in the halls. Now then, I will leave you to your ever so difficult ruminations," he said, moving out of sight back towards Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Hey, wait!" Harry called out, suddenly wanting to know more about whatever was going on at Grimmauld Place, but Nigellus had moved out of sight, presumably back to his own frame in Dumbledore's office. Harry stood there for several moments, staring back at the stone gargoyle. He knew the password to gain entry, but decided it wouldn't be the best time to go barging in, right after he'd just been summarily excused. He reluctantly turned around and headed back to the Gryffindor tower.  
  
* * *  
  
Harry dropped down heavily in the large chair next to the fireplace, having finished conveying all that had taken place to the best of his knowledge. He looked about the Common Room, his friends staring back at him as though he were juggling a set of flaming torches.  
  
"Blimey," said Ron finally from the hearthrug. "That's bloody awful!"  
  
Ginny shot up from the couch and bolted for the Fat Lady's portrait.  
  
"Ginny, wait! We can't go visit tonight," said Harry, divining her intentions. "Madam Pomfrey said she really needs to be undisturbed for a while."  
  
Ginny turned back with the greatest reluctance and dropped despairingly to the carpet next to her brother.  
  
"This like...sucks," she said in a tiny voice.  
  
"Too right it does," agreed Ron. He looked up at Harry. "Does she know?"  
  
"No yet," said Harry heavily. "I'm supposed to tell her, though."  
  
"Bloody Hell," said Ron, eyeing him sympathetically, "I don't envy you that, mate."  
  
Harry glanced at Hermione, who was sitting in the divan opposite his, gazing distantly into the fireplace.  
  
"Hermione, you okay?" He asked.  
  
She slowly turned to look at him; he could see her emotions were slowly building up inside. "Harry," she said softly, "Do you really think you should tell her?"  
  
"Well someone has to," said Harry, "Dumbledore was going to do it but I asked him if I could - "  
  
"No, that's not what I meant," said Hermione carefully. "Harry, you know she's so protective of her father, this will...this is just going to kill her..."  
  
"I know," he said weakly. "But if we don't - "  
  
"I think I know where you're coming from, mate," said Ron, "I guess I'd tell her too."  
  
"Ron," countered Hermione despondently, "You can't imagine - no one should ever have to be put in that position. She has to choose between her father's life and the possible well-being of the wizarding world! How can anyone make that kind of a choice?"  
  
"Yeah, I know, but then," parried Ron, though not in his usually defensive fashion, "If she doesn't know, then she can't give up her wand, can she? We'd be condemning her father ourselves if we didn't. At least, that's the way I see it."  
  
Hermione gaped at him, seemingly realizing the inherent correctness of Ron's argument. Her shoulders sagged slightly in despair as she slowly turned back to gazing at the flames.  
  
"Can't the Ministry or the Order look for him?" asked Ginny desperately, though Harry knew she was clutching at straws. "You said Remus Lupin was in a meeting with Dumbledore right now, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah," confirmed Harry, though somewhat less than enthusiastically, "But they don't even know where to start looking."  
  
They sat in silence, each of them contemplating the situation with equal despair. Ironically, Harry thought, Luna was likely the best off of the bunch this night, still being in the dark about this horrifying development.  
  
His hand reached into his robes to feel the ancient, smooth shaft of Luna's wand. He wondered what consequences might ensue if Voldemort were to gain possession of it... this tiny, seemingly insignificant piece of wood between his fingers...  
  
What's the worst thing that could happen? he asked himself. Okay, so maybe he could talk to Grindelwald. That's not so bad, is it? It's not the end of the world. What if Grindelwald has nothing useful to say?  
  
But then...Voldemort clearly wanted this wand very badly.  
  
And Luna...how on Earth could she possibly even contemplate losing her father, no matter the consequences? He knew Hermione's argument had its own validity. But then, Ron was also quite right. To do nothing meant Luna would lose her father by default. Would he ever be able to face her knowing he'd caused the loss of that which was more precious to her than anything in the world?  
  
There has to be another way, he thought. But finding her father seemed highly improbable, even with the combined resources of the Ministry and the Order working in concert. And even then, could they even mount a successful rescue attempt? He recalled darkly the end result of his previous attempt to do just that...  
  
He gently gripped the handle of the wand, feeling its ancient hickory surface worn smooth through centuries of use. Who might have used this wand through the ages, he wondered. A thought blew fleetingly through his mind, so outrageous that he'd immediately dismissed it. But what else was there? After a few moments, his tendrils of thought reached out to retrieve it.  
  
He could hand over the wand himself, he mused. He would explain to Luna that they hadn't found it in the snow that night, and it had likely been carried away by some small denizen of the forest. Her father would be freed, and...  
  
No, he realized dimly, It couldn't work. The moment her father reappeared with the story of how he'd been kept captive in exchange for her wand would see to that. Why else would her father reappear unless her wand had made its way somehow to the Dark Lord? How would she react knowing Harry had kept that decision from her?  
  
That's if they were even inclined to release her father, Harry thought painfully. He very much doubted Voldemort would be likely to keep his word. He sank even further into contemplation...  
  
"What if..." He heard Hermione's voice interrupt his melancholy thoughts, "Maybe we don't have to look for him..."  
  
Harry glanced over at her. "How's that?" he asked, hardly daring to hope.  
  
She looked back at him, a curious look in her eyes. "Well...why yes, why didn't I...oh, Harry, I think we might be able to - "  
  
"What?" asked Harry, straightening up and leaning forward in his chair, all their eyes now concentrated on the young Prefect.  
  
She looked back at him, her expression thoughtful. "Harry, who's the only person Voldemort ever stuck his neck out for?"  
  
Harry thought. It came to him immediately; the only Death Eater Voldemort saved from Dumbledore's clutches during the battle at the Department of Mysteries.  
  
"Lestrange," he said at once. "He didn't seem to care what happened to the others, did he?"  
  
"Exactly!" exclaimed Hermione, throwing her book on the table. "That's the key, Harry, right there."  
  
Harry and Ron looked at each other with equal befuddlement. Ginny narrowed her eyes as she looked at Hermione, as though cluing in on what her friend might be thinking.  
  
"Could you, er, give us mere mortals here a bit of a hint?" suggested Ron, putting away his barely inaugurated essay.  
  
Hermione shot him a sharp look but proceeded with her elaboration. "Look, we know they're going to come after Malfoy at the next Hogsmeade weekend, right?"  
  
Ginny's eyes lit up. Harry wished his own perceptiveness could be as proficient.  
  
"Yeah...so...that means..." said Ron uncertainly, looking to Hermione, who was spinning her hand over in circles as though to encourage him to progress to the next logical step in his train of thought.  
  
"...we trade Malfoy for Luna's dad?" Harry finished for him. "As much as I'd like to, I don't think - "  
  
Hermione threw her head back in frustration. "Oh, of course not!" she said. "Think! Who do you suppose is going to be sent to get Malfoy?"  
  
"Wormtail?" guessed Ron.  
  
"Maybe," said Hermione, "But I'm ready to bet all my schoolbooks that Voldemort isn't going to take any chances; he's going to send Bellatrix Lestrange to make sure it gets done."  
  
"So...we capture...Lestrange?" suggested Ron meekly.  
  
"Yes!" exclaimed Ginny excitedly, scrambling to her feet. "We turn the tables on You-Know-Who!"  
  
"Sshhh! Not so loud," implored Hermione, as a group of second years sitting at a table against the far wall of the Common Room peered curiously in their direction.  
  
"Oh, sorry," said Ginny, lowering her voice, "But Hermione, this is perfect! We exchange her for Luna's dad!"  
  
"Uh, hang on," said Ron, "How exactly are we supposed to capture her, exactly? She's kind of dangerous, isn't she?"  
  
Hermione blinked, staring at him blankly for a moment. "Well," she said, "I haven't thought that part out yet. Anyway, we can leave that for later. But it gives us something to go on, at least."  
  
"Okay, look," Ron continued, "Let's say we manage it somehow. How do we know You-Know-Who's going to go for that? He abandoned Lucius Malfoy in Azkaban, didn't he?"  
  
"Yes, but he helped Lestrange escape from the Ministry last year, don't forget," countered Hermione, "I think it shows she knows too much for Voldemort to let her get captured, doesn't it?"  
  
"She didn't talk all the time she was in Azkaban, though," said Ron, "Why would he be worried about her talking now?"  
  
"Veritaserum," said Hermione simply. "Fudge never allowed it to be used, probably because of Lucius Malfoy's influence, but - "  
  
"Fudge is out of the picture now," said Ron, nodding comprehendingly. "Okay, all right, but, isn't Hogsmeade weekend like three weeks away? Do we have that kind of time?"  
  
"Well, we can always ask Professor Dumbledore to move up the date, can't we?" suggested Hermione, "In the name of 'security', he'll say."  
  
Ron looked at her blankly for a few moments. "With Malfoy as the bait," he said thoughtfully, "You know, this might be bloody brilliant?!"  
  
Everyone turned to look at Harry, who'd been listening to the banter going back and forth and getting more and more hopeful in spite of himself.  
  
"Well?" Ginny asked the question on all their lips, "What do you think?"  
  
There was absolutely no question, as far as Harry was concerned. "Let's do it," he said, but at the sight of his friends' excitement he added quickly, "But...I'm the one who brings in Lestrange. I don't want any of you getting invol - "  
  
"Oh, just relax, mate," said Ron happily, "We're not about to start letting get all the fun. Besides, we don't know how many of those Death Eaters - "  
  
"I'm serious," interrupted Harry firmly, "I've had it with getting others in the line of fire. How many bullets can we keep dodging like this? This time I'm the only one who'll take the risk. End of discussion."  
  
"Discussion re-opened. We're serious too, Harry," said Hermione just as firmly, "You're not going in this alone; and for heaven's sake, do you think we'd be able to live with ourselves if something happened to you while we just quietly sat back drinking butterbeer?"  
  
"It's...that's not the same - "  
  
"Oh yes, it is," said Hermione, "Guilt runs both ways, Harry."  
  
"Look...you just don't understand - " Harry started, looking to Ron for support.  
  
"What she said," Ron concurred, pointing to Hermione.  
  
"But - " His gaze fell on Ginny, who was standing with her arms crossed, looking at him firmly and shaking her head in the negative.  
  
Harry sighed and sank back resignedly in his chair. "You're all incorrigibles, you know that?"  
  
"That's right," said Ginny, smiling.  
  
"We're just awful," agreed Ron. 


	24. Luna's Year, Part XXIV

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!"  
  
"GGGAAAAHHHHH!!!" shrieked Harry, arms and legs flailing wildly in all directions, bedsheets thrown asunder. He slipped over the side of his bed and fell rather unceremoniously to the floor, the sudden scream in his ear having drawn him abruptly from his slumber.  
  
He pushed himself up to a sitting position, his shaking hands scrambling for his glasses up atop his night stand. He hastily donned the spindly spectacles and looked up at his tormentor.  
  
He found himself staring up at the dark-clad figure of Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, standing off to the side of his bed. The old Auror was gazing down at him with his hands in his pockets, shaking his head reproachfully.  
  
"What was THAT for???" shot Harry through heaving breaths, his heart racing.  
  
"If I'd been You-Know-Who, ye'd be dead by now!" growled Moody. "You kids have to take yer security more seriously!"  
  
"If you were You-Know-Who, you wouldn't have been YELLING IN MY EAR!!" countered Harry angrily.  
  
"Eh...fair point," said Moody, his magic eye roving around the dormitory. "Still, though, I shouldn't have snuck in here so easily. I'm tellin' you, all anyone has to do is hide near that painting there, and just wait for somebody to come by!"  
  
"I don't care!" barked Harry, picking himself up from the floor and throwing the blankets back on the bed. "I don't want to have to be on my guard while I'm sleeping! What are you doing here, anyway?"  
  
"Eh, got a meetin' with Dumbledore an' Lupin this morning," said Moody. "Figured I'd check up on ye while I'm here. Glad I did, too, the security leaves a lot - "  
  
"Look," interrupted Harry as he opened his trunk to retrieve his robes, "don't get me wrong, it's good to see you, but I usually prefer to wake up on my own, all right? I don't need to have someone testing my every move just in case a Death Eater managed to sneak in here!"  
  
"Best to be prepared for anything!" said Moody gruffly, walking around the dormitory, his wooden leg thumping thickly against the floor. "People never take security seriously 'till it's too late, lad, mark my words. You can easily set up a few charms to - "  
  
"Okay, okay," said Harry. "I'll think about the charms, all right? Can I just - " He held up his robes, in the hopes that Moody would get the picture and leave him be. "Harry? You coming down anytime soon?" asked Ron as he ran up through the hole in the floor where the staircase emerged, breathing heavily after sprinting up five floors, "I wanna get some breakfast before - hey, what are you doing in here?"  
  
"Oy," growled Moody, pointing his thumb at Ron over his shoulder, "Walked right by this one downstairs and he never even clued in on me. I'm tellin' you, you boys are just asking for trouble. Anyway, I'm off, meetin's due to start soon." With that, the old Auror limped past Ron and made his way noisily down the stairs.  
  
"What was that all about?" asked Ron, "How'd he get in here anyway?"  
  
"He's checking out security," said Harry impatiently, trying to put some semblance of order in his bedsheets. "Almost gave me a heart attack too. I never want to wake up like that again."  
  
"Oh...well anyway," said Ron, "are you coming down anytime soon? I was waiting up for you before going - "  
  
"You go ahead," said Harry, sitting on the corner of the bed and pulling on his socks, "I'll be down in a bit."  
  
"Righto," said Ron, proceeding down the stairs to the Common Room. He paused a moment to gather the essay he hadn't finished the previous night before making his way to the Great Hall.  
  
The place was getting quite busy, yet he couldn't see any sign of Hermione or Ginny anywhere. Instead, the surprising sight of Neville and Luna sitting opposite each other at the Gryffindor table drew his attention. His hapless housemate quickly spotted Ron and gave him a look akin to someone desperately in need of rescue.  
  
Ron quickly gathered himself some breakfast at the high table and marched down to join Neville, who gave a tangible sigh of relief.  
  
"Morning Ron," said Neville gratefully.  
  
"Hello, Ronald," said Luna dreamily, daintily dissecting a blueberry cupcake.  
  
"Er, hi Luna," replied Ron, "Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital wing? When did you get out?"  
  
"Oh, just this morning," she said vaguely. "I really wanted to find out what happened last night, but I haven't been able to find Ginny or Hermione yet."  
  
She paused in the middle of dissecting the remnants of her small muffin for a moment, her large silver eyes popping up to meet his. "Would you know? The last thing I remember is being carried through the air with Harry, I can't recall anything after that."  
  
Ron hastily bit off a large chunk of toast and made as though his overstuffed mouth was what prevented him from answering; he needed to think of something fast. He didn't yet know if they were supposed to tell Luna about Hermione's plan, and he didn't want to be the one to make that gaffe and suffer Hermione's wrath afterwards.  
  
He chewed slowly on his toast, Luna staring at him intently all the while. Finally he decided on a course which he hoped would spare him any lecturing afterwards.  
  
"Yeah," he said finally, wiping his mouth, "Remus Lupin showed up last night; he saved you guys from falling off the tower, apparently." There, no lie, he told himself.  
  
"Minister Lupin is here?" asked Luna, her eyes brightening.  
  
"Uh-huh," said Ron, taking another bite of toast.  
  
"Thank you," said Luna airily, dropping the remnants of her paltry breakfast onto her plate before rising from the table. Ron and Neville watched her go, both heaving sighs of relief as she left the Great Hall.  
  
"Holy smoke, I thought she'd never leave," said Neville. "Why does she have to stare like that? Honestly, I thought I had paint on my nose or something!"  
  
"I hear you," said Ron. "I don't think she does it on purpose, but it drives me up the wall too."  
  
"Either way," said Neville, cutting his pancake into manageable morsels, "she gives me the heebie-jeebies, I'm telling you."  
  
"Well anyway," said Ron, unexpectedly finding himself wanting to change this particular subject, "I didn't want to spill the beans while she was here. That was close, Hermione would have strung me up from one of the Quidditch hoops."  
  
"What beans?" asked Neville, glancing at him curiously as he poured syrup over his crepe.  
  
Ron glanced around furtively, in case anyone was eavesdropping. "Keep this to yourself for now," he said in a low voice, "Hermione worked out a plan last night. We're going to get the date for Hogsmeade weekend moved up and use Malfoy as bait."  
  
Neville's eyes widened as he very nearly spilled syrup on his lap. "Eh? Malfoy? Bait for what?"  
  
"Bellatrix Lestrange," said Ron, pouring himself a goblet of apple juice, "We're going to trade her for Luna's dad. There's still some details we have to work out - "  
  
"Lestrange!" exclaimed Neville, his face reddening, "I want in on that!"  
  
"Shh, keep it down, will you?" said Ron, knowing full well Neville's deep- rooted hatred for the Death Eater. "Mum's the word, at least until we've talked about it more with the others."  
  
Neville seemed to relax slightly, before a look of confusion crossed his face. "I don't get it. Trade Lestrange? Luna's dad? I'm missing something here, aren't I?"  
  
"Um, yeah," said Ron, speaking through a mouthful of toast. "I found out last night. You-Know-Who's holding Luna's dad hostage. In exchange for her wand, seems like."  
  
"Whoa," said Neville, looking shocked. "And here I am complaining about how weird she is. Does she know?"  
  
"I dunno...I don't think so," said Ron. "Not the hostage part, anyway."  
  
Neville was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, it was with a strangely serious tone, "You're going to just hand her over? Lestrange, I mean? Just like that?"  
  
"Well, yeah," said Ron. "That's the plan, anyway. Why?"  
  
Neville seemed to be struggling for words. "Oh...nothing." He said finally.  
  
Ron had a pretty good idea what was going through Neville's head right now. The thought of capturing Lestrange, only to let her go, must be eating away at him...Harry had voiced similar concerns about the Order and the Ministry's possible reluctance at releasing her.  
  
"Well, good morning," said Hermione as arrived and took a seat next to Ron, breakfast plate in hand. "Who was sitting here?" she asked, pushing aside Luna's unfinished cupcake.  
  
"Morning," said Neville, somewhat sombrely.  
  
"Luna was there," answered Ron, "She just left a couple of minutes ago. I think she went looking for you guys."  
  
"Oh!" said Hermione, her expression brightening, "Madam Pomfrey gave her release then? How is she?"  
  
"Well, she looked all right," said Ron, "Was driving Neville here a bit - " He'd been about to say 'nutters', but caught himself in time; the memory of the Longbottoms in St. Mungo's flooding back to him, " - er, up the wall."  
  
Ginny joined them with her breakfast plate, taking a seat next to Neville.  
  
"Oh, don't worry," said Hermione. "There's not a mean bone in her body, Neville."  
  
"You're not still scared of her?" asked Ginny, elbowing Neville in the ribs, "Are you?"  
  
"No I'm not," said Neville rather unconvincingly. "She's just...you know..."  
  
"Well anyway, she's had a really rough go of it lately," said Ginny. "Did you hear what happened to her dad?"  
  
"Just now," Neville nodded towards Ron. "Can I come with you guys to Hogsmeade? I'd really like to help."  
  
"Thank you, Neville," said Hermione sincerely. "I'd really hate to think what would happen if this doesn't work - "  
  
Harry joined them a few minutes later, settling down at the table next to Hermione, looking somewhat disheveled and worried. "Anyone see Luna? I went to check up on her but she's not in the hospital wing..."  
  
"Yeah, she was just here a few minutes ago," said Ron. "She looked fine though."  
  
Harry glanced down to the Great Hall's entrance, wondering if he could find her before classes started. It was unlikely, given the size of the school, he realized. She was probably in the Ravenclaw tower by now anyway, he thought. Though he could always wait outside -  
  
He was interrupted in his deliberation, however, by Hermione touching his arm to get his attention.  
  
"Listen, Harry, I was thinking," she said, "about moving up the date for Hogsmeade weekend - "  
  
"Let me take care of that," said Harry. "I don't want to tip Dumbledore off to what we're planning. I'll figure out a way to ask him without telling him about the plan, don't worry."  
  
Hermione looked mortified. She and Ginny exchanged nervous glances, although Ron and Neville seemed less disturbed by Harry's declaration.  
  
"What?" asked Harry, seeing Hermione's reaction. "We can't tell him, Hermione. Or any of the teachers."  
  
"But Harry," said Hermione, "with Dumbledore there it would make it so much easier, not to mention safer...I really think we should involve him, and the Order too."  
  
"I agree," said Ginny quickly.  
  
"We can't," said Harry firmly. "Look, do you really think he'd let us use another student as bait? Even if it is a Slytherin?"  
  
Hermione swallowed hard. "I don't...Harry, we can really use his help on this..."  
  
"Hermione's right, Harry," said Ginny seriously. "Look what happened last year."  
  
Harry flushed, barely keeping his temper in check. It was Dumbledore's insistence on keeping Harry in the dark that had caused so much grief last year, so far as he was concerned. No one had prodded the Headmaster to reveal anything to Harry then, so why should Harry be forthcoming now? Especially since it could jeopardize getting Luna's father back, something he was determined not to risk.  
  
"All right look," he said more abruptly than he'd intended, "First of all, he'll never let us use Malfoy as bait, and second, what makes you think he'd be willing to hand Lestrange back over to Voldemort?"  
  
"How do you know he wouldn't?" countered Ginny just as forcefully. "Dumbledore wouldn't throw away someone's life like that, Harry."  
  
"It's not just Dumbledore," Harry riposted. "It's the Order and the Ministry too. Just think of what they could do if they got their hands on Lestrange, with everything she knows. They'd never be willing to give her up, not even for Luna's dad!"  
  
"But Dumbledore's the head of the Order, Harry," pleaded Hermione. "He'll have the final word, and we're not dealing with Cornelius Fudge anymore either, they'll listen - "  
  
"Will they?" asked Harry sharply. "No, I'm not taking that chance. If we tell them about the plan to them and they decide to keep Lestrange for themselves then we've just killed Luna's dad. No, we're keeping under our hats."  
  
Hermione and Ginny looked at each with unfathomable stares.  
  
"Well, I'm going regardless," declared Neville, lifting Harry's spirits slightly.  
  
"I'm with you too," confirmed Ron. "Anyway, how hard can it be? It's six against one."  
  
"She won't be alone, Ron," countered Hermione. "For all we know, we're the ones who'll be outnumbered!"  
  
"Look," Harry interrupted, as their voices had been rising to a dangerously audible level, "I was serious last night. I know it's taking going to be riskier by not telling Dumbledore, I won't argue that. That's why I'd feel a lot better doing this on my own."  
  
"No," said Hermione firmly, shaking her head. She took a deep breath. "No...if you're determined to do this, Harry, then we're all with you...but please think about what I said, at least?"  
  
"Are you going to tell Luna about any of this?" asked Ginny.  
  
"I...well, I don't know," replied Harry after a moment's reflection. "Do you think we should?"  
  
"Well I'd sure feel better if she were there covering my back," voiced Ginny.  
  
"Harry, I think it's best she knows," said Hermione. "It's her father, after all. She'd want to know."  
  
"Yeah, maybe," said Harry pensively. "But I don't want to put that kind of pressure on her right now. We can just tell her that we're trying to capture Lestrange for the Order or something."  
  
"Will she buy that?" asked Ron dubiously.  
  
"She's no idiot, Harry, she'll smell a fish," said Ginny.  
  
"Why don't we just ask her to come with us, without really saying anything?" suggested Ron. "It'll just be like a regular Hogsmeade weekend, from her point of view."  
  
"You mean keep her completely in the dark?" asked Hermione. "No, Ron..."  
  
"Well, let's think on it," said Harry, just then catching sight of a large eagle owl swooping down through the rafters, coming to land on the Slytherin table in front of Malfoy.  
  
"Well, I'm stuffed," said Ron, pushing his plate away from him.  
  
A tawny brown owl suddenly appeared and landed in front of Hermione, Ginny hastily withdrawing her plate from under its beak. Hermione unwrapped the twine holding her copy of the Daily Prophet, glancing around for a treat, her eyes falling on Ron's untouched cupcake. She snatched it up and presented it to the bird, who promptly snapped it up in its beak and flew off.  
  
"Hey!" exclaimed Ron, "That was mine!"  
  
"You just finished saying you were stuffed!" said Hermione, scowling at him as she carefully unfolded the newspaper in front of her.  
  
"Yeah, well, I was gonna make room - " said Ron, watching the departing owl reproachfully. "Oh, fine, then. Go ahead, hope you hate blueberries - "  
  
"Hey, that's the owl!" said Ginny, as the large owl in front of Malfoy lifted off from the Slytherin table and left through one of the openings in the rafters.  
  
"Eh? What owl?" asked Harry.  
  
"That's the owl we used a couple of nights ago, Luna and me," explained Ginny. "I should have figured it belonged to him. It knew his address, after all."  
  
"Where's he buggering off to?" remarked Ron as Harry caught sight of Draco Malfoy hurrying out the Great Hall, parchment in hand.  
  
* * *  
  
Ginny sighed softly as she leaned back in her chair and gazed about the classroom. Aside from the incessant droning of the Professor Binns, the low collective murmuring of the students, and the trickling splatter of freezing rain against the high arched windows, the room was quiet enough for slumber. She was in no mood for nodding off at the moment, however.  
  
She lowered her head and continued her doodle, only managing to make a few random scribbles before her mind drifted back to what had irritating her. It was no use; she had to address it or it would drive her mad before long. She straightened up in her chair and raised her hand.  
  
"Yes, Miss Moonglow?" said Binns after considerable delay, apparently caught off-guard at the unusual sight of a raised hand in his class.  
  
"She's Moonglow," said Ginny, tilting her head towards Luna. "I'm Wiseacker."  
  
"Wiseacker...yes...yes, of course, Miss Wiseacker..." the ghostly teacher intoned dully, as Ginny leaned closer to Luna and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Can't even get our wrong names right," she whispered.  
  
She straightened up and continued in a normal tone. "I was just wondering professor, about my essay; is it possible that you might have, er, graded it incorrectly?"  
  
Binns blinked at her repeatedly, as though waiting for her to carry on. It eventually dawned on him that she'd finished her question, as he slowly stirred from his self-imposed stasis.  
  
"Well...now...let me see..." he said, rummaging through a disorganized pile of parchments on his desk. He muttering her incorrect name to himself repeatedly until he finally pulled out the sheet he'd been looking for.  
  
"...yes, here it is...was it graded an 'A', Miss Wiseacker?"  
  
"Yes it was," said Ginny, nodding vigorously.  
  
"That is the correct grade," the Professor droned, putting the sheet back atop his pile and turning back to the blackboard. "Continuing, the Muggle King during this time was unconcerned with the simultaneous rebellion of the Goblinfolk to the West, quite unwisely as it turned out, as this would later prove to be disadvantageous once he attempted to petition other kingdoms - "  
  
"I can't believe this," Ginny whispered to Luna, "He's going to stick me with an 'Acceptable'!"  
  
"It was rather good, wasn't it?" Luna whispered back as she daintily folded a corner on an origami figure she'd been working on for much of the class. "You should've gotten an 'O' too, I should think."  
  
"I know! It's the same essay!" said Ginny in a low voice. "Word for word! How can he score them so differently?" She thought for a moment. "It's almost as if...you don't think he's onto us, do you?"  
  
Luna paused from her paper craft for a moment and smiled dreamily at Ginny. "I wouldn't think so," she said dreamily. "Maybe it's the handwriting."  
  
Ugh, thought Ginny, might just be, at that. Her handwriting was rather coarse at the best of times, a marked contrast to Luna's flowing script. And given the fact that she'd had to transcribe the last few paragraphs of the essay out in the hall in a matter of minutes, its penmanship left much to be desired. Besides, she'd worked on essays with Luna countless times; she was quite convinced that Binns wouldn't notice if everyone in class handed in the exact same paper.  
  
Well, she thought, slouching back in her chair in resignation, it's not the end of the world. At least it's not a T...  
  
Ginny looked over at her friend, wondering how her friend was feeling at this time. She seemed to be her usual dreamy self, but Ginny knew she'd been badly shaken the day before.  
  
She glanced up at the front of the class, where their ghostly teacher was prattling on incessantly, quite unaware, or perhaps uninterested, that the students were practically ignoring him. Indeed, as Binns' practice was to simply read the text directly from the books, anyone could simply read them on their own time and not be any worse off. This allowed them to use History of Magic class to concentrate on other matters, either homework, gossip, or in Luna's case, origami.  
  
"What's that supposed to be, anyway?" asked Ginny, watching Luna's third attempt at creating some unknown figure.  
  
"Oh...well..." said Luna, turning over the half completed paper form in her hands, "It's supposed to be a hippogriff, actually. It's rather difficult though, with all the wings and legs."  
  
She put the paper figure back on her desk and made a few adjustments. "You know, I overheard Padma Patil this morning," she said dreamily, "Word's gotten out that Minister Lupin arrived at school last night on Buckbeak. Anyway, she said all hippogriffs are vicious man-eating monsters; I don't think that's true, though, really. Buckbeak was always quite nice with us in Professor Hagrid's class."  
  
"The only person he ever attacked was Malfoy," said Ginny, "That doesn't make him vicious. It makes him smart."  
  
Luna smiled dreamily to herself, then seemed to mull over something in her head for a few moments. "Did you know," she said dreamily, "all generalisations are inherently false? Including this one? It's true, isn't it?"  
  
Ginny let her head fall to the desk with a soft thump. She barely managed to contain a strong urge to laugh, though several giggles nevertheless escaped her lips. She was relieved to see a glimmer of Luna's quirkiness again, especially after all that had transpired lately.  
  
"Oh, Luna," said Ginny after her fit of the giggles had died away, "where on Earth do you come up with these things?"  
  
Luna was putting the finishing touches on her origami creation. "Oh, well it's something I read once," she said vaguely, delicately folding over a wingtip. "It does make perfect sense when you think about it, though, doesn't it?"  
  
Ginny was interrupted from answering by the bell signalling the end of class. They quickly gathered their books and scooted eagerly out the door, Ginny noting that Binns was still prattling on as they left.  
  
"I'll just go bring these to the dormitory," said Ginny, holding up her schoolbooks. "I'll meet you for lunch in just a bit, all right?" Luna nodded her acquiescence and proceeded to the Ravenclaw tower, having emerged a few minutes later after leaving her books in the dormitory. She'd barely stepped out into the hall when she glimpsed Harry walking down the hall towards her.  
  
"Hello Harry," she said dreamily. "How are...oh...well, you look positively ill!"  
  
"Er...I do?" asked Harry, taken aback. True, his stomach had been twisting and turning since he'd finally decided, with more than a few misgivings, to tell Luna about her father and Hermione's subsequent plan, but he hadn't expected it to show up in his face.  
  
Luna nodded vigorously. "You're white as a sheet, you know," she said seriously, tilting her head and gazing up at him. "Are you a gryppophobiac?"  
  
Harry gaped at her. "A gryp - what??"  
  
"Harry!"  
  
Harry turned at the sound of the voice, seeing Remus Lupin making his way down the corridor towards them, drawing curious stares from several Ravenclaws who were heading in the opposite direction for lunch.  
  
"Harry, could I - oh, hello, Luna," he said upon seeing the young Ravenclaw. Luna smiled dreamily back at him.  
  
"Sorry to interrupt...Harry, do you have a moment?" he asked. "I have to get back to the office by tomorrow, and I'd like to see you about something before I go. I've been putting it off too long as it is, really."  
  
Harry glanced at Luna. "Er...well..."  
  
"It's okay, I told Ginny I'd meet her for lunch, anyway. I'll see you later, Harry," said Luna serenely before making her way down the hall and disappearing around the corner, Harry being both sorry and relieved to see her go all at once.  
  
"Did you tell her?" asked Lupin.  
  
"I was about to," replied Harry. "I'm not really looking forward to it, though."  
  
"It's for the best, Harry. She came to see me this morning, did you know? I didn't tell her anything, of course," added Lupin quickly at Harry's worried expression. "Except, naturally, that the Ministry and the Order will do everything to get her dad back, which we will. It was nice to see her again though. I still remember her from my stint here; she does leave quite an impression, doesn't she? Goodness how time flies - "  
  
"Uh, well, I didn't know her back then," said Harry self-consciously, as he and Lupin started walking back down the hall.  
  
"Did you know," said Lupin, "when I resigned from the school she and her father wanted to run a story denouncing the Ministry for its anti- lycanthrope policies? And she was just this tiny little second-year at the time, for heaven's sake. She's got quite the convictions; I'd hate to face off against her in a debating club."  
  
Harry allowed himself a grin. He tried to imagine Luna in just such a situation. It would be an interesting debate, to be sure.  
  
"Well, anyway, Harry," said Lupin, "I wanted to talk to you...about Sirius."  
  
Harry said nothing, staring at the floor and suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.  
  
Lupin seemed to sense his change in mood. "Look, I know it's a sensitive subject - "  
  
"No, it's not that," said Harry, "It's...just..."  
  
"Yeah," said Lupin sadly, "I know. I haven't been able to talk about it either."  
  
Harry suddenly felt very selfish. It hadn't occurred to him during all this time that Remus Lupin had known Sirius much longer than Harry had, indeed most of his life. They'd been practically brothers in spirit...if anything, he must have felt Sirius' loss at least as strongly as Harry.  
  
"But actually, it's his estate that I wanted to talk to you about, Harry," continued Lupin as they rounded the corner. "You're his principal beneficiary, you know."  
  
"M-me?" Harry stuttered. "But...I'm not part of the family - "  
  
"Just because you're not in the Black family tree doesn't mean you weren't family to him, Harry," said Lupin. He added a moment later, with a hint of a smile, "Come to think of it, his own name wasn't even there anymore, if I remember correctly. Not that it bothered him any, of course."  
  
"But I don't need any money," Harry protested. "I...it wouldn't be right..."  
  
"Don't worry," said Lupin. "Sirius wanted you to have it. To tell the truth, he wasn't all that keen on having all that Black family silver, either. Besides, you can always give it away later, if that will make you feel any better. But it's Grimmauld Place that really matters, really. We've had a real devil of a time trying to keep that place up and running lately."  
  
"What?" said Harry, suddenly recalling what Phineas Nigellus had told him the pervious day. "How do you mean?" "Well, you remember Mrs. Black, right?" asked Lupin. "Well, with no rightful heir in the place she's taken to shrieking almost constantly. Calling us all invaders and what not. She's even taken to turning off the lights and locking doors now. I think the worst is how she opens the door right when we're in the wash closet; getting to be a real nuisance, really...even worse than before, if you can believe it."  
  
"Can't you get rid of her somehow?"  
  
"No, we tried everything," said Lupin. "She's part of that house, it seems. Anyway, Dumbledore theorized that once you took official possession of the place, she might 'quieten down' a bit, so to speak."  
  
"Uh, well," said Harry, "what would I have to do? I don't have to live there or anything, do I?" The thought of living in Sirius' old house filled him with dread. He'd once actually contemplated it while Sirius was alive, but now that he was gone...  
  
"No, no, not if you don't want to," Lupin assured him. "You just have to be in the house when we have the magistrate transfer the title over to you, that's all. We can go over there tonight, after classes, if you're up to it."  
  
"Uh..."  
  
"We don't have to do this if you're not ready," said Lupin. "We can wait until some other - "  
  
"No, no," said Harry hastily, "I didn't mean it like that, it's just...no, of course I'll go."  
  
* * *  
  
"Luna, wait!"  
  
Luna had been just about to enter the Great Hall when he caught her attention. She turned around and waited for him to catch up to her.  
  
"Hi, Harry," she said dreamily, "Are you well?"  
  
"Er...yeah," said Harry, wondering if she was aware of the meaning of that common Muggle expression. "Could...hey, what happened to you?"  
  
"Hmm?" said Luna, staring back at him innocently with her enormous silvery eyes. Her tattered sleeves, terribly dishevelled hair and dirt smudges on her face and hands contradicted starkly with her perfectly serene demeanor. She looked for all the world as if she'd been dragged through a pumpkin patch by a team of horses.  
  
"Look!" said Harry, holding up one strip of shredded sleeve in front of her as some passing students openly ogled her. "Something happened! Are you okay?"  
  
"Oh...this?" she said after examining herself, "Well, I went and helped Professor Sprout repot her Venomous Tentaculas, actually. I had trouble with a few of them, especially as I couldn't use magic, but I managed well enough. Anyway, how come you're not at supper?"  
  
"I was waiting..." Harry began, but couldn't bring himself to simply ignore Luna's rather harrowed appearance. "Wait a second, I don't get it; why couldn't you use magic? Was Sprout telling you not to?"  
  
Luna smiled slightly at him. "No," she said slowly, "It's because you've got my wand. Minister Lupin told me you had it."  
  
Harry closed his eyes and slapped his forehead with his palm. "I can't believe I forgot that," he said plaintively. He opened his eyes again to see Luna still smiling at him. "Why didn't you say something at lunch?"  
  
"Well, I wasn't worried, really," said Luna conversationally, a curious sight as she resembled something closely akin to a tornado victim. "It wasn't like you were going to hide it on me. And anyway, my satchel turned up today, so I knew my wand would too eventually. Things just have a way of working out."  
  
Harry felt his stomach tighten painfully. Luna had recovered her spirit so well, he hated to be the one to have to tell her about Voldemort's threat. But he also knew that he would never forgive himself if he passed the responsibility on to someone else.  
  
He was about to broach the subject when his eyes fell upon a most unwelcome sight - Pansy Parkinson at the head of a small group of Slytherin girls heading in his direction, Luna's calamitous appearance drawing her gaze immediately. Harry glared at her, hoping that it would suffice to warn her off.  
  
It did not, to his dismay. "Well, well, what have we here?" said Parkinson snidely, pausing before them, her little troupe of housemates fanning out to either side of her. "A little inter-house snogging in the halls, perhaps?"  
  
"Hey!" Harry shot out hotly, "Just bugger off!"  
  
She snickered at him. "Careful, Potter," she said, pointing to her prefect's badge, "Wouldn't want to cost Gryffindor any house points, now, would you?"  
  
Her eyes turned to Luna, drifting up and down the young Ravenclaw with exaggerated disgust. "Goodness, but you're a mess. Even more so than usual, if that's possible!" Her accompanying troupe giggled malevolently. "Look, I told you - " Harry said loudly, taking a step towards her, his face flushing with anger.  
  
She gave him a look of incomprehension. "What are you getting so upset about? I'm just pointing out the obvious for you, Potter. Even you could do a lot better than that," she said, indicating Luna with a depreciative nod before setting off into the Great Hall, accomplices at her heels, glancing back at them disparagingly.  
  
"Luna, I'm so sorry," said Harry, turning back to her apologetically, only to find her staring up at him blankly, her pale eyes unblinking. "That was...er...are you okay?"  
  
She smiled at him. "Oh, come on," she said. "You're not getting upset because of what she said, are you?"  
  
Harry blinked. "Well, yeah!" he exclaimed. "I mean she's such a...a...a 'gitette', I - "  
  
Luna let out a burst of laughter that rang down the long hall, prompting students coming down for their evening supper to stare at her even more blatantly. Her unrestrained laughter combined with her rather trounced appearance seemed to be convincing many that she'd gone completely mad.  
  
"Er...Luna?"  
  
She stumbled back, mirth making her legs wobbly as she clutched her sides. "Git...gitette!!" she managed to blurt out in between fits of raucous laughter.  
  
Harry would have laughed along with her, though he was caught between Luna's flight of hilarity and the knowledge of her father's possible fate. As it was, he could only look at her and wait for her laughter to subside. Which it eventually did, to his relief.  
  
"Gitette!" giggled Luna breathlessly, wiping away tears of laughter.  
  
Harry couldn't bring himself to tell her about her father now, after all that. She was laughing for the first time since she'd known of his disappearance, he couldn't take that away from her just yet...  
  
A thought occurred to him.  
  
"Say I just had an idea," he began, Luna still giddily staring up at him. "Would you, um, like to come with me? I have to go to Grimmauld Place to take possession...Remus Lupin asked me if I could go tonight after classes."  
  
Luna's giddiness died away as though shut off by a tap. Harry was amazed at how quickly her demeanor could change; and yet, in Luna it was somehow all quite natural.  
  
"Sure Harry, if you like," she said. "That was your Godfather's place, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yeah," he confirmed. "I told Remus that I'd go settle the estate tonight. Sirius left me everything, including the house."  
  
"Oh...of course I'll come, Harry," she said quietly. "You've never been back there since last year, have you?"  
  
"No," said Harry. "And to be honest, it kind of gives me the creeps. He hated that place; he only lived there because it was the headquarters for the Order and it was the safest place to hide."  
  
Luna nodded solemnly, her large silver eyes clear and focused. "When would we leave?" she asked.  
  
"Er, well, Remus said anytime after classes, so we can go grab a bite to eat and meet him straight after."  
  
"All right," said Luna serenely. "Well, I suppose I really should go wash up a bit before supper. Save me a seat, Harry!"  
  
"I will. And thanks Luna," said Harry. "Really."  
  
He turned to go, but Luna stayed rooted to the spot. Harry had the distinct feeling she was waiting for something. Had she misunderstood something?  
  
"Um, we'll meet in the Great Hall in a bit...for supper..."  
  
She was still gazed serenely at him. Perhaps he'd omitted some bit of information?  
  
"...and we'll go see Remus after that...in Dumbledore's office..."  
  
She smiled at him and slowly shook her head, before finally leaving for the Ravenclaw tower.  
  
It was only as Harry was talking his seat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall that it hit him - he still had Luna's wand!  
  
* * *  
  
Harry had made a point to give Luna's wand back to her the moment she'd arrived in the Great Hall, lest he forget again. They ate sparingly, talking about the last day's events; Hermione in particular seemed to take particular heart in Luna's better spirits.  
  
Soon after supper they made their way down to the entrance to Dumbledore's office, facing the large stone gargoyle which marked the entrance.  
  
"Argyle socks," whispered Harry, in case Mad-Eye Moody happened to be lurking about, checking on security.  
  
They rose the spiral steps until they came to the large double doors, which opened as soon as he'd knocked; clearly he was expected.  
  
He was greeted by the sight of professor Dumbledore sitting at his desk, clad in a magnificent lavender robe speckled with silver constellations. Lupin, Moody, Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt were all sitting around the Headmaster's desk, looking over at him.  
  
"Ah, Harry," greeted Dumbledore, "please come in. And Miss Lovegood, it is most pleasurable to see you again."  
  
She smiled dreamily at the headmaster and followed Harry into the office. As they approached, Dumbledore moved over to retrieve an old kettle from a cupboard nestled amongst the bookcases behind his desk.  
  
"Hi, Luna," said Tonks. "Did Harry tell you, er - "  
  
Tonks glanced at Harry, clearly wondering wether he'd told Luna yet about her father. He subtly shook his head in the negative.  
  
"...um...tell you...about Grimmauld Place?" Tonks finished awkwardly, though Luna gave no sign of suspecting anything amiss.  
  
"Yes," said Luna serenely, "he asked me to come."  
  
She leaned close to Tonks, and spoke in a whisper that was barely lower than her normally dreamy voice. "I think this estate business makes him very uncomfortable, actually."  
  
Harry looked at her and couldn't help but smile. Luna's attempt at clandestine behaviour was hopelessly obvious; Moody was looking at her critically, evidently concluding the young Ravenclaw definitely needed substantial training in the art of subterfuge.  
  
"Professor," said Harry as Dumbledore put the kettle on his desk, "Um, I was wondering, would it be possible to move up the date for next Hogsmeade weekend?"  
  
Dumbledore gazed at him sagely. "Actually, Harry," he said, "I was thinking of doing exactly that. Was there a particular date you had in mind?" "Er, well, as soon as possible," said Harry, feeling slightly uneasy. If the Headmaster pressed him on it, would Harry be able to lie to him?  
  
"If it's not too much trouble." He added hastily.  
  
Dumbledore glanced at Lupin before turning his clear blue eyes back on Harry. "Well, I'm sure we can manage something," he said. "May I ask as to the reason behind your request, Harry?"  
  
"Er," Harry glanced around desperately, his eyes falling on Moody. "Security!" he exclaimed a bit too abruptly, he thought. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Luna turn her pale gaze upon him.  
  
"Ah," growled Moody from his chair beside the desk. "Bright boy. Learns fast when you tell him. Never let 'em see a pattern! Always keep 'em guessing!"  
  
"Harry," said Dumbledore quietly, "is there anything you'd like to tell me?"  
  
Harry swallowed hard. Though Dumbledore showed so sign of displeasure, Harry had the discomforting sensation that the Headmaster could see right through him. But no, he couldn't risk letting him know about the plan. A dark part of him also took satisfaction with the notion of withholding information from Dumbledore, though Harry quickly pushed the fleeting thought from his consciousness.  
  
"No," he said finally. "Nothing."  
  
Dumbledore gazed at him serenely before finally nodding. He turned to the kettle and raised his wand, tapping it lightly.  
  
"Portus," he said, the kettle trembling slightly and giving off a blueish hue for a few seconds before quickly settling back to its original, unremarkable, state.  
  
"Well, gather around," said Lupin.  
  
Tonks, Lupin, Luna and Harry gathered around the desk. Harry noticed that Moody and Shacklebolt showed no signs of moving; clearly this entire thing had been carefully planned beforehand.  
  
"Ready, now," said Lupin, as they all placed their hands in the ready position. "Right...three...two...one...now."  
  
Harry touched the kettle and instantly felt himself being jerked forward. The surroundings around him changed from Dumbledore's office to a myriad collection of swirling colours, Harry feeling the wind blowing through his hair wildly - all the while being quite aware of Luna's presence at his side, though he could not see her - He fell on the floor near the entrance of Grimmauld Place, the kettle hitting the floor with a metallic clang somewhere behind him. The others were scattered nearby, Lupin being the only one who'd managed to keep his balance by grabbing onto a sconce in the wall.  
  
"That thing is getting rougher every time," said Tonks as she picked herself up from the floor, looking to the kettle with irritation. "We should ask Dumbledore to have a look at that."  
  
Harry glanced about. Though the place was now quite habitable, it still had the gloomy atmosphere that had embedded itself in his consciousness the moment he'd first set foot in the place. The knowledge that it was Sirius' one time home, and then virtually his second prison, did nothing to alleviate his discomfort.  
  
"All right," said Lupin once they'd all regained their bearings, looking at Luna. "We have to keep very quiet in the hall upstairs. I'll explain why when we get to the kitchen."  
  
"All right," said Luna dreamily. They set off up the short flight of stairs, Harry recognizing straight away the familiar hallway with the staircase on the left leading up to the old bedroom he'd shared with Ron the previous year. They quietly walked along, being very mindful not to speak. Luna was gazing around curiously, pausing to gaze at each portrait on the wall, falling further and further behind the group.  
  
When they'd reached the doors to the kitchen, Harry turned around to wait for Luna, instantly horrified to see her leaning forward, curiously peeking behind the bedraggled velvet curtains that concealed Mrs. Black's portrait.  
  
"Luna, No!"  
  
"AAARRGGHH!!!" shrieked Mrs. Black. Luna quickly snapped her head back and let go of the curtain, though it nevertheless flew open a split second afterwards.  
  
"FREAK! HALF-BREED CHILD!!! DAUGHTER OF FILTH!! CREATURE OF FOULNESS!! AN ABOMINATION!! THE BLOOD TRAITOR HAS ALLOWED AN ABOMINATION INTO THE NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT HOUSE - "  
  
Harry rushed down and grabbed Luna's arm to drag her away, as she'd been staring transfixed at the portrait without showing any signs of leaving.  
  
"Luna, come on - " he said as he desperately pulled her away, Tonks and Lupin passing by him.  
  
"Get to the kitchen, Harry," yelled Lupin, his voice barely discernible over Mrs. Black's screeching, "We'll handle it!"  
  
"Well, that was rather rude," said Luna through the shrieking in the background as Harry pulled open the door to the kitchen. He went to motion Luna inside but caught himself at the sight of the figure that appeared in the doorway.  
  
A tall and rather attractive blonde-haired woman, her face vaguely familiar, stood before him. She gazed down at him with a reticent air, her tangible aloofness sending him chills. His eyes were drawn downwards, however, to the tiny figure hiding behind the stranger; it was peering around her to look at him, its ancient face and long, pointy ears unmistakable.  
  
"Oooo..." it said, its eyes widening in horror.  
  
"YOU!!" yelled Harry, the sight of Kreacher instantly filling him with murderous rage. He whipped out his wand and pointed the trembling tip at the treacherous elf - 


	25. Luna's Year, Part XXV

Luna pushed his arm back down. "That's a house-elf, Harry," She said, looking at him strangely.  
  
"That's no house-elf," Harry said through clenched teeth, his fist clenching his wand tightly, "That...that thing...it tricked me...if it wasn't for..."  
  
Luna turned her gaze to the cowering elf, which was glaring at them with equal parts loathing and horror.  
  
"Oh..." she said in a low voice.  
  
Harry wanted nothing more than to vaporise this miserable creature before him. Everything that had gone so terribly askew at the Ministry was due to this miserable little elf's treachery and deception - it deserved Sirius' fate, Harry vowed silently - he raised his wand again -  
  
The tall woman's hand drifted into her robes, eyeing him warily. Luna quickly pulled him back, tugging hard on his sleeve.  
  
"Cru - Cruc - Luna!" Harry yelled as he stumbled back and fought to maintain his balance. He lunged forward, trying desperately to point his shaking wand at the malevolent elf. "LET GO!!"  
  
" - PUTRID CREATURE OF BILE!!! HORRID ABOMINATION!!! VILE ATROCITY - "  
  
"GET OVER HERE!!!" Harry screamed at the house elf. He lurched forward with such force that his sleeve tore off at the shoulder, sending him hurtling to the floor and Luna falling backwards. He instinctively tried to break his fall with his hands, his wand clattering on the floor and coming to rest near the tall woman's feet. Kreacher's demented gaze followed it, a tiny gnarled hand reaching down -  
  
"Accio wand!"  
  
The wand slipped out of Kreacher's reach and flew by Harry's head. He rolled to his side and saw Luna sitting on the floor where she'd fallen, his torn sleeve draped over her lap. She reached up and caught his wand in one hand.  
  
Harry glanced at Tonks and Lupin battling valiantly behind her, frantically trying to shut the mouldy curtains of Mrs. Black's screaming portrait.  
  
" - HALF-BREED OFFSPRING!! FOUL MONSTROSITY!!! BALEFUL WIGHT - "  
  
Harry scrambled to his feet and glared at Kreacher, who now was infuriatingly sneering with delight, now that Harry was wandless. His vision clouded over with rage. Wand or not - He lunged for the house-elf.  
  
"Accio Harry!" Luna shouted behind him.  
  
"YouuaaaaAAAGGGHHH!!!"  
  
Harry felt himself lift off his feet and hurtle backwards through the air, the walls of the long hallway spinning wildly around him. He slammed heavily into Luna, who'd just managed to get to her feet, sending them both sprawling across the floor.  
  
" - IT DARES TO CAST SPELLS IN THE HOUSE OF MY FOREFATHERS!!! DEFILER!!! MALIGNANT SPIRIT!!! PESTILENT HALF-BREED - "  
  
They rolled several times until they came to a stop near Mrs. Black's shrieking painting, Luna lying atop him.  
  
"It won't stop!" Tonks said, struggling desperately with her half of the velvet curtain.  
  
Harry tried to push Luna off, his rage blinding him to the single-minded determination of wringing Kreacher's scrawny neck.  
  
"Harry, stop! It's me, Luna!"  
  
" - DREG OF WIZARDKIND!!! ABOMINABLE MISCREATION - "  
  
Harry blinked. His vision cleared, becoming suddenly very conscious of two large, silvery eyes only inches from his. All thoughts of murderous intent quickly faded away.  
  
"Take this side with me," Lupin said from somewhere behind him, "If we both pull at the same time - "  
  
"L-Luna?" Harry managed to blurt out. "I'm...it's okay..."  
  
Harry saw a look of relief cross her pale features. She moved off him and sat back, brushing stray strands of dirty blonde hair from her face. Harry watched the tall woman walk by them, waving off Lupin and Tonks.  
  
" - ACCURSED SPRITE!!! WRETCHED CHILD OF... "  
  
The sight of the woman immediately caused Mrs. Black to fall silent, and the stranger drew the curtains without the slightest difficulty. It had always been fiendishly difficult to close them, Harry knew...how had she managed it with such ease?  
  
It came to him just as she turned from the painting and gazed down at him for a moment before walking quietly back into the kitchen. He'd seen her during the Quidditch World Cup two years before...that was Narcissa Malfoy, he realized.  
  
He pushed himself up to a sitting position, Luna regarding him attentively.  
  
"It wouldn't have made you feel any better, you know," she said solemnly.  
  
"Sshhh," Tonks said, holding up a finger to her lips. Lupin helped Harry and Luna get to their feet, nodding towards the kitchen.  
  
"Evening, Amelia," Lupin said at the monocled woman sitting at the table as Tonks closed the door behind them. Harry recognized her immediately; she'd been one of the witches sitting at his hearing at the Wizengamot, when Fudge was trying to get him expelled for doing illegal magic outside of school. She had several official-looking documents spread out on the table before her, along with a golden quill perched atop a pewter inkwell. Harry detected the faint fish-like scent lingering in the air; a cauldron was on the stove, steam rising in wisps from under its lid.  
  
Narcissa Malfoy had taken a seat at the far end of the table, watching them with cold detachment. Harry wondered what she was doing here, of all people. Yet Lupin and Tonks didn't seem at all surprised by her presence, which only served to perplex him further.  
  
He started walking around the kitchen, looking for any sign of Kreacher. The elf was nowhere to be seen. Luna, meanwhile, was following him about, trying to slip Harry's sundered sleeve back onto his arm.  
  
"Hold still, you're making it rather hard to put this back on, you know," she said before finally managing it. She then mended the sleeve back to his robes with a Reparo charm before giving Harry his own wand back.  
  
"I've never seen her get so riled up," Tonks said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder towards the hall, "What got her so ticked off, anyway? I've heard her insults before, but that..."  
  
"Probably not used to having strangers peeking under the curtains, I guess," Lupin said, drawing up chairs and glancing at Luna. "Anyway, Harry, I don't know if you've met Narcissa Malfoy?"  
  
"Er..." Harry said, "Once, sort of..."  
  
Narcissa raised an eyebrow at Harry, her aloofness rather disquieting him. The air she presented was making him feel as though he'd somehow committed some unspeakable faux-pas, even though all he'd done is try to destroy a baneful house-elf.  
  
Hang on, Harry thought, that's Bellatrix's sister! This is my place now! She's the one who should be feeling on edge, not me!  
  
He tried to present a bolder facade, though so steadfast was her icy demeanor that it was Harry who finally looked elsewhere.  
  
"Hello," Luna said dreamily, taking a seat next to Narcissa. She proceeded forthwith to stare at the woman curiously, receiving a frosty gaze in return for her trouble.  
  
Harry would have been interested to see who would win such a stare-off, but was interrupted by Lupin motioning him to sit down.  
  
"Well...I think you know Amelia Bones?" Lupin asked, taking a seat next to Harry.  
  
The plump, gray-haired witch gave Harry a smile which contrasted oddly with her somewhat stern appearance. "Oh yes," she said genially, "Bloody well threw a stick in old Fudge's spokes that day, didn't you, Mr. Potter?"  
  
"Er...I suppose," Harry said cautiously. He was feeling rather intimidated by this woman, despite her evident cordiality.  
  
"Susan speaks very highly of you," she said, "As does Arthur Weasley, I might add. Which reminds me," She bent down to retrieve something from her satchel, handing over a small green and silver silk bag to Lupin, "This is the...er...the saltshaker."  
  
"Oh, yes," Lupin said, pocketing the small bag without any further explanation. Harry doubted very much it had anything to do with something so mundane as kitchenware.  
  
"Amelia is a Ministry Magistrate as well as being on the Wizengamot, Harry," Lupin said, "She has the legal authority to handle these types of affairs."  
  
"Oh, okay," Harry said. He was rather curious about what had just changed hands, but this was definitely not the time nor the place to ask.  
  
"Well then," Mrs. Bones said, pulling out a long and ornately written document, "This is your godfather's last will and testament, Mr. Potter. In it, he has named you as sole beneficiary of his estate. Would you like me to read through it?"  
  
"Um..." he glanced at Lupin, though he gave no sign to Harry as to what he should do. He was very uneasy with the simple fact he was Sirius' inheritor; to have it all recited to him out loud, in front of Narcissa Malfoy no less, was even more discomforting. Do I really have to go through this? He wondered. "I...er..."  
  
"Take your time, Harry," Lupin said finally, "You could always read it later on your own, if you'd prefer."  
  
Harry quickly seized on the offer. "Yeah," he said with tangible relief, "Yeah, I think I'll do that."  
  
Amelia Bones nodded, smiling sympathetically. She turned the long document around until it faced him, the glowing Ministry seal stamped on the bottom corner. She took the long golden and dipped it in the inkwell.  
  
"All right, Mr. Potter," she said graciously, "All you need to do is sign your acquiescement to the testament...right here," she pointed out the correct place for him to sign.  
  
Harry hesitated. What did 'acquiescement' mean? This just didn't feel right. He didn't deserve Sirius' estate to begin with. He wondered what would happen if he didn't sign...couldn't the estate be transferred over to the Order?  
  
But then he glanced up at the other end of the table. Narcissa Malfoy was staring at him rigidly.  
  
No one said a word. He was beginning to regret not having Mrs. Bones read the testament out loud...he really had no idea what he was getting himself into. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, which only exacerbated his discomfort.  
  
The longer he waited, the more nervous he became. Blast it, he thought, let the chips fall where they may, I'll deal with all this later. He abruptly scribbled his signature on the document, noticing that nothing appeared on the parchment at first. Gradually, the scribble began to glow softly and then solidified. He handed the golden quill back to Mrs. Bones, noting the trembling in his hand.  
  
Mrs. Bones quietly pushed the paper over to Lupin, handing him the quill in turn. "And, as a witness," she said, pointing to a line just below where Harry had signed. Lupin solemnly penned his signature and turned the document back to the Magistrate.  
  
She removed the first copy of the document and handed it to Harry, folding away the other two into her satchel. They spent the next half hour or so going through the other forms, Mrs. Bones offering to read each one in turn, though Harry asked only for the briefest summations. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.  
  
"Well," she said after they'd finished the last of the paperwork, gathering the various forms and putting them into her satchel, "It's done. Now it's quite normal for some people to experience feelings of guilt during such times, Mr. Potter. Try not to let it get to you; most everyone has to go through this when they lose someone."  
  
Harry gave a forced smile. "I...I guess," he said.  
  
"Good lad," she said, getting up from her chair and moving over to the stove, where the cauldron was bubbling over, "Now then, I took the liberty of helping myself to some of your ingredients while I was waiting; I'm known to make a mean calamari stew, you know. Would anyone care for some?" She raised the lid, scooping up a gray tentacle that had slipped over the side back into the pot.  
  
"I, uh, already ate before coming," Harry said, eyeing the steaming pot warily.  
  
As Tonks has wandered over and taken a keen interest in what was boiling, Harry quickly excused himself from the kitchen before he could see anything emerge from that pot, Luna trailing close behind. They crept past the portrait of Mrs. Black, being mindful not to speak, and took the staircase up to Harry's old room.  
  
"Well, that wasn't so bad," Luna said dreamily as she plopped herself down on the edge of Ron's old bed, "It was nice of Minister Lupin to bring a Magistrate and all."  
  
"Yeah," Harry said, taking a seat on his own bed across from her, the testament still clutched tightly in his hand. "You could have grabbed a bite, you know, I didn't mean for you to leave the table too - "  
  
"Oh, no," Luna said vaguely, "I don't like tentacled food very much."  
  
"You don't, huh? I wonder why?" Harry grinned at her, his weariness lifting slightly.  
  
"No, it's rather 'oogily', you know," she said, shrugging and shivering at the same time.  
  
Luna gazed dreamily around the room, apparently finding interest in the most mundane things. Harry glanced over to the empty portrait along the far wall, briefly wondering if Phineas Nigellus was eavesdropping on him. Was the presence of Narcissa the 'peculiar' goings-on he'd told Harry about?  
  
"This is where you stayed last year?" Luna asked, running her hands across the blanket, "It's a rather odd house, isn't it?"  
  
"Oh yeah, you missed most of it though," Harry agreed, "You should have seen it when I first got here. We had to work for days just to clean it up. The doxies were a nightmare."  
  
They were quiet for a time. Harry's elbows rested on his knees as he stared at his feet, very conscious of the crumpled testament in his hands, though unable to bring himself to read it.  
  
He could sense Luna's eyes on him, although this did not fill him with the slightest discomfort. On the contrary, he found her presence heartening. After several minutes had passed, he drew up and looked at her.  
  
"What are you going to do?" She asked, gazing at him empathically. Though the question was rather vague, Harry knew what Luna was referring to.  
  
"I don't know," he answered, "I just...I don't want this place, Luna. It just doesn't feel right. I don't know how else to explain it. I've got more than enough money from mom and dad to get my own house after I graduate. If I graduate. The last thing I need is another estate."  
  
The room descended back into silence. Harry thought about how it must have been for Luna to go through this when her mother had died. Then he thought of her father and began to feel rather ashamed for dumping his troubles on Luna, at a time when her own life was undergoing so much turmoil...  
  
"Have you ever read the story of Goldilocks?" Asked Luna unexpectedly, her feet dangling back and forth.  
  
Harry looked up and blinked. "Goldilocks? Uh, yeah, sure...it's been a while, though. Why?"  
  
Luna's large silver eyes brightened. She straightened up attentively. "Well, remember when the wolf sent her from the gingerbread house to go down to the village with the ox? How she traded it for the magic beans instead of - "  
  
Harry put up both hands. "Whoa, hold on," he said, finding himself laughing, "I thought you were talking about Goldilocks!"  
  
"That's right," Luna said, staring at him with her large, unblinking pale eyes, "She's the one taking the ox to town, remember?"  
  
Harry gaped at her. "Ox? Where does an ox come into it? I don't remember any ox...and the wolf, and the beans, and the gingerbread - what about the three bears??"  
  
Luna continued to stare at him innocently, her head tilting with curiosity. "What three bears?"  
  
"The three - " Harry blurted, "The cottage! You know, the bears! How she sneaks in, eats the oatmeal in the bowls, and stuff!"  
  
Luna's face brightened with a smile, her eyes wide with excitement. She clasped her hands between her knees and slipped to the edge of the bed eagerly. "Oh that sounds rather interesting! Tell!"  
  
"Wha - er, okay, well I guess it starts with 'Once upon a time' - hey wait, hang on, what were you going to say?" Harry asked, "Your version isn't the story of Goldilocks the way I remember it." She regarded him for a few moments, her eyes clear and bright. "Well," she said, "what I was trying to tell you, Harry, is that you don't have to feel guilty, you know."  
  
Harry stared at her. "Luna..." he said, his emotions threatening to come to the surface, "If...if I wasn't around, Sirius would still be alive now. It's because of me, the mistakes I've...there's no other way to look at it..."  
  
"Of course there is," Luna said conversationally. She slipped off her bed and came to sit next to him, regarding him thoughtfully. "If you weren't around, then you never would have known him, would you? And he wouldn't have known you. Imagine what both of you would have missed."  
  
Harry looked at her, a slight smile on her face. What she said was true, he knew, but his actions had ensured that he'd thrown away whatever future Sirius might have had. And, what was worse, he seemed to have learned nothing from the lesson. How many times since then had he endangered the lives of those friends which he held so dear?  
  
"How...how did you deal with it?" Harry asked gently, "About your mother, I mean?"  
  
"That's the trick, Harry," she said, nodding vigorously, "We all have two choices: to accept what life dishes out, or not. The bad with the good. Mum told me so when I was very little, you know. If you always fight it, then you'll eventually go mad, like Mirabella Plunkett, or sent to St. Mungo's, or turn yourself into a haddock."  
  
"A haddock? What - " Harry shook his head, trying to clear that peculiar imagery from his mind. "You make it sound so simple, though. I wish I could think the way you do."  
  
"Well, that would certainly be wise," Luna said, nodding sagely.  
  
"So...that...that's all you did? You just accepted it and moved on?"  
  
"Well," she said, "Some things are harder to accept than others, Harry, it's true...but then, you know we'll see them again, on the other side. You heard them."  
  
Harry thought about the Veil. He had heard voices, distant, strangely disembodied, perhaps, but definitely there. Luna placed so much faith in such strange, inexplicable things. "But...how can you be so sure?" He asked.  
  
She leaned close, a few roaming strands of dirty blonde hair brushing against his, "Because I choose to believe, Harry. And it is that simple, really. You reminded me of that yourself, remember?" she whispered furtively. She drew back and nodded with a smile, pale eyebrows rising.  
  
"Besides," she said dreamily, waving a hand around the room, "I can't imagine why anyone would choose not to believe. People are so odd sometimes, really. Look at Muggles. They don't even believe in magic, you know. It must be so terrible to go through life like that."  
  
Harry found himself laughing on the inside. He glanced over to the deserted painting over the dresser, taking satisfaction that its occupant was elsewhere. "Do you think I'll ever go mad and wind up in St. Mungo's?" He asked jokingly.  
  
His question was greeted with silence. He turned back to look at Luna, who, to his surprise, seemed to have taken the question seriously and was regarding him intently, hand cupping her chin, tilting her head back and forth as though ascertaining his propensity for insanity. "Mmmm...no," she said finally to his relief, "No, I don't imagine you will."  
  
"Thanks," Harry said, grinning at her.  
  
They sat together in silence for awhile, Harry beginning to feel strangely better in spite of himself.  
  
A thought occurred to him. "Anyway, what were you talking about before? That Mirabella lady? Who was she?" He asked, recalling her earlier reference to that name.  
  
"Oh come on," Luna said, gazing at him incredulously, "You know, Mirabella Plunkett, the girl who fell in love with a merman?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Well, it was published a few years ago," she said dreamily, "So it's possible you never saw it. Anyway, she fell in love with a merman in Loch Lomond, but her parents didn't want her marrying him, you know, and so one day she finally went mad and transfigured herself into a haddock," she appeared pensive for a moment, gazing off into space, "I suppose she might have been happy, though. Well, maybe that wasn't the best example after all."  
  
"Ooookay," Harry said. This sounds like something from The Quibbler, he thought. One of these days he was going to have to read through one of those magazines and see for himself. Luna swung her legs playfully back and forth over the edge of the bed.  
  
"Have you noticed, Mrs. Malfoy doesn't talk very much," Luna said disappointedly, "I hope she'll come around, though. She seems nice. It was good of the Order to bring her here, wasn't it?"  
  
Harry hadn't thought about that. Had she gone to Dumbledore? Was that why she was here now? Now that Grimmauld Place was his, what was he to do with her? Throw her out? Of course, there was no question that it would continue to serve as the Order's headquarters; that at least brought him a small measure of satisfaction. But sheltering Bellatrix Lestrange's sister sent him chills.  
  
"I don't know about having her here," Harry admitted, "She's the wife of a Death Eater, remember? And her sister is the worst one of the bunch."  
  
"She's not one of them, though," said Luna confidently.  
  
Maybe, Harry thought. But he was finding considerable difficulty in believing Narcissa Malfoy could be very different from her sister. Both their names were still proudly displayed on the Black family tree, after all.  
  
"Do you think your godfather was ever a member of the Hobgoblins?" Luna asked, absent-mindedly twirling a stray lock of sandy-coloured hair.  
  
Harry snapped out of his dark thoughts. Luna could change topics as easily as he could blink, it seemed. "The Hobgoblins? I don't - oh, wait, you're talking about that Stubby Boardman thing, aren't you?"  
  
"That's right," said Luna, nodding enthusiastically, "Wouldn't it be interesting if they were one and the same, as Ms. Purkis said?"  
  
Harry thought back to the first time he'd read that story; it was just after first meeting Luna on the Hogwarts Express, in fact. It seemed so long ago, now. So many things had happened since then. He shuddered to think of what he might have missed had he passed that cabin by on that fateful day.  
  
"Well, I don't know," Harry said, "I heard Sirius singing Christmas Carols last year, so I don't think he would have been a lead singer. But then you never know with some of those bands, I guess..."  
  
A twinge of guilt ran through Harry. Here Luna was, keeping him company and making him feel better, when her father was being held by the darkest wizard of the times. He looked into her large, mesmerizing silver eyes and knew he couldn't keep it from her any longer. He took a deep breath.  
  
"Luna...there's something I have to tell you," he began gently, "It won't be easy for you to hear it. To tell you the truth, I've been trying to decide wether or not to tell you at all. But, I think Hermione's right. You do have to know."  
  
Luna became very still, her eyes fixed on his, though her expression was inscrutable.  
  
Harry tried to sound as reassuring as he could, given the dark nature of the news. "Professor Dumbledore found out your father's being held...by Voldemort," He said carefully, lest she burst into tears. She showed no reaction, however, so he continued. "He's...he wants your wand, Luna. In exchange for your father..." He held his breath. Now she knows.  
  
She continued to stare at him, seemingly unaware of the magnitude of what he'd just said. Several moments passed. "Uh...Luna?" Harry asked tentatively, "Are you okay?"  
  
"Yes," she said softly at last, "I suppose I rather knew, Harry."  
  
Harry blinked. "You...you did?"  
  
She nodded solemnly. "I had plenty of time to think up on that tower, you know," she said, "I rather imagined it would come to this," she pointed to the tip of her wand tucked behind her hear.  
  
"He'll come back, though," she said, "Like you so wonderfully reminded me, Harry."  
  
Harry swallowed. He remembered all too well; it was the only time he'd ever seen Luna lost within herself. "But, listen," he said tentatively, intending to give her hope, "We...well, Hermione...came up with a plan - "  
  
Luna's eyes widened precipitously at this news. "Oh, Hermione's plans are rather imaginative, aren't they? Remember how she fooled that Umbridge lady to go into the Forest? Strange how she can do that and not believe in Snorkacks. Anyway, tell!"  
  
Harry went on to describe Hermione's plan, Luna listening raptly. He was surprised that Luna was taking all this so well. He found himself wishing he could take some of his own advice he'd given her that fateful night on the tower.  
  
"I'm coming with you," Luna said bluntly after he'd finished.  
  
"We thought you might," Harry affirmed. "Ginny wants you at her back."  
  
They continued talking for a while, first about Hermione's plan, then about Luna's father, and then wandered incongruously amidst a bewildering array of subjects, including Luna's rather ludicrous rendering of the Goldilocks story, followed by Harry's more traditional version. They eventually came, somehow, to the subject of Sirius and the Black family.  
  
"No, no," Harry said, finding he didn't mind talking about this usually sensitive subject with Luna, "It couldn't be Regulus, he died years ago. Sirius told me so himself."  
  
"At almost the exact same time Stubby Boardman 'retired', too!" Luna said excitedly, "It's him, Harry, it must be!"  
  
"Okay, look," Harry said, finding himself playing the Devil's advocate on this farcical subject while trying to keep a straight face, "He's still listed on the Black family tree, I saw his name there last year. I'm sure Mrs. Black wouldn't have kept him on there if he was a member of a band like the Hobgoblins!"  
  
"But she's an old ninnyhammer, you know," Luna said, "He would have kept it a secret from her, of course!"  
  
"Hey, why was she calling you all those things, anyway?" Harry asked, "She's always yelling her head off, but I've never heard her go off the deep end like that."  
  
"Oh...that...well..." Luna said, shrugging slightly, "That's because Mum was - "  
  
A knock on the door interrupted them. Tonks stuck her pink-haired head in. "We're all done downstairs," She asked, "Whenever you guys are ready, Remus is waiting to take us back."  
  
Harry looked at Luna. She was staring back at him blankly, though her silence indicated to him that she didn't wish to discuss the matter in front of Tonks. He took his cue, and stood off the bed, as Luna quietly followed suit.  
  
As they walked out the door Harry thought he heard a muffled chortle coming from the near wall over the cabinet...  
  
* * *  
  
The next few days passed by uneventfully, aside from a minor accident with Zacharias Smith during the first DA meeting since the holidays, Seamus having apologized profusely. Madam Pomfrey assured them the third eye on his forehead would gradually dissapear overnight.  
  
Harry had not been able to bring himself to read Sirius' testament any more now than he had at Grimmauld Place. Lupin had confirmed to him that Narcissa Malfoy had indeed sought out Dumbledore after receiving Luna's note; which, apparently, had arrived in the proverbial nick of time. He'd found himself wishing the note had arrived just a bit late, though he quickly reprimanded himself for such thoughts.  
  
What was more disturbing to him now was that Kreacher had returned; Lupin had told Harry that he served the Malfoys now, and that so long as Narcissa was around, there was nothing to be concerned about. That reasoning hardly satisfied Harry.  
  
He'd been wondering what to do about the two of them, though at Hermione's pleading he'd decided to leave the matter up to Dumbledore, as he was head of the Order and Grimmauld Place still served as its headquarters.  
  
As it was, he was rather glad to put the issue behind him for now. He and his friends had gone down to Hagrid's hut Friday evening, Harry finding solace in its familiar surroundings. He hadn't paid Hagrid a visit since before Christmas, he realized.  
  
" 'Course I'll help," Hagrid said gruffly as he refilled Ron's oversized cup, "But y'know, Hermione's right, Harry. Yer really should be tellin' Professor Dumbledore 'bout all this."  
  
Harry groaned inwardly. Not another lecture, he thought, remaining silent in the hopes that Hagrid would abandon the argument.  
  
His wish was short-lived. "See, Harry?" Hermione said from her vantage point near the fireplace, sitting next to Luna in the huge stuffed armchair that had plenty of room for both of them, their feet not quite reaching over the edge of the seat cushion. "You don't think Dumbledore would be against it either, do you Hagrid?"  
  
"Fer lil' Luna's 'ere? 'Course he would'na be against it!" Hagrid exclaimed, smiling reassuringly over at the young Ravenclaw who held a very large teacup with both hands in her lap. She'd been gazing dreamily about the place, lightly tapping the ends of her feet together, seemingly lost in the virtually endless details of the hut's rustic decor. She'd emerged from her reverie however, once the discussion had turned to the Hogsmeade mission.  
  
"Well, I for one agree with Hagrid and Hermione," Ginny exclaimed, taking a momentary break from feeding treats to Fang under the table. "Dumbledore would want to help, Harry."  
  
"That's not the issue," Harry said dispiritedly, feeling the first hints of a headache coming on, "I don't doubt he'd want to capture Lestrange, it's what he'd do after that!"  
  
"Eh?" Hagrid asked, putting the large teapot back on the stove, "What'd ye mean, exactly?"  
  
"Oh, he's worried that Dumbledore wouldn't want to give up Lestrange," Hermione said severely, "Because of what she knows."  
  
"Kodswallop!" Hagrid said, retaking his seat at the table next to Neville. "He'd never leave somebody out t'dry like that, Harry. Ye should know better!"  
  
"Should I?" Harry retorted hotly, the memory of Dumbledore's dismissal of him a few nights before still very vivid in his mind, "If there's one thing I've managed to learn over the last few years, it's that I don't know Dumbledore as well as I thought I did!"  
  
"What do you mean by that?" asked Hermione.  
  
Harry glared at her, though his anger quickly faltered at the sight of her concerned gaze. "It's...nothing," He said finally, feeling everyone's eyes on him and staring at a table leg. They have no idea, he thought, no idea at all...  
  
An uncomfortable silence descended in the hut. Everyone seemed unwilling to ask Harry to elaborate on that last point, lest he should lose his temper again.  
  
"Well, I think we should get to the carriages early tomorrow morning," Hermione said at last, "So we can keep an eye on where Malfoy will be when we get to Hogsmeade."  
  
"I agree," Harry said at once, grateful for the change in subject. "And we stick to him like glue once we get there."  
  
"What do we do if he notices us?" Ron asked, leaning back in his chair as Ginny had dropped a few treats at his feet, so as to avoid Fang's drooling, "I mean, we're not exactly known for hanging out with Malfoy, are we?"  
  
"Just be inconspicuous," Harry said, "Try and make it look like we're just wandering around or something."  
  
"Blimey, the whole lot of us, walking in circles around him, pretending to wander around?" Ron asked, "I'm sure he won't suspect a thing!"  
  
"Oh Ron," Hermione said, "Don't be such a prat. There is such a thing as subtlety, you know, even if you're not aware of the concept."  
  
"I can be subtle!" Ron protested, leaning over more in his chair until he lost his balance and tipped over, sending himself crashing heavily to the floor. He upended a large wooden bucket with his shoulder, sending a load of Fire Crab shells spilling around the table.  
  
"I stand corrected," Hermione said dryly.  
  
"Careful, 'ere," Hagrid said, helping Ron back to his feet. Luna was trying valiantly to suppress her laughter by dropping her cup in her lap and pressing her fists in her mouth. Her shaking shoulders and large eyes swimming in tears of mirth were tangible evidence that she was not altogether successful.  
  
"Ewww!" Ron said with disgust, brushing off a few shells, "These are all slimy!"  
  
"Yeh, well," Hagrid said, righting the bucket back up as Ginny used her wand to refill it, "Can' exactly leave 'em out to dry this time o' year, y'know."  
  
"Well," Hermione said, "we'd best get going anyway, it'll be curfew soon. Thanks, Hagrid!" She slid off the large chair, the others following suit after Ginny had tossed down her remaining treats to Fang, Luna eyeing Ron with a look of barely contained mirth. Ron caught sight of her and quickly marched to the front of the group, ears reddening.  
  
They waved goodnight to Hagrid and proceeded up the trail towards the castle. About midway back, Harry took Luna aside and told the rest of them to go on ahead.  
  
"Luna," he said sombrely, "You didn't say anything in there. I'd like to know what you think."  
  
She stared at him blankly.  
  
"About going to Dumbledore, I mean." He added. "You know...how I feel about..."  
  
"I remember," Luna said, nodding, "But I didn't realise you were still so upset about it, Harry."  
  
"Well...I wasn't," he replied, "But...he did it again, Luna! Just a couple of nights ago. They were getting ready to discuss something in his office right after he'd told me about your dad, and then he sent me away! Blast it, I deserve to know! You deserve to know!"  
  
To his surprise, she just smiled dreamily at him. "Well, what do you think?" She asked.  
  
Harry blinked. "Well...what if he was against giving up Lestrange? I mean with all she knows - "  
  
"Is that your brain or your heart talking?" Luna remarked serenely. She took a step closer to him and stared intently with her large silver eyes.  
  
Harry stared back at her. "I...what's the difference?"  
  
She titled her head slightly and gazed at Harry. "You don't really subscribe to the buttered toast principle, do you?"  
  
"Huh?" Harry said, gaping at her in befuddlement.  
  
She smiled slightly at him. "Well, when you drop a piece of toast, what side does it land on?"  
  
Harry briefly wondered if he'd somehow missed part of their conversation. "Er...well, buttered side down, usually."  
  
"Exactly!" Luna said, nodding vigorously.  
  
Harry gaped at her. "Er...I think I'm missing something here..."  
  
"Oh well, look," she said, "Most people get all upset when that happens, because they blame it on bad luck, right?"  
  
"Well, yeah," Harry said, "...aren't they right?"  
  
She shook her head, "No," she said, "It's because the toast doesn't have time to flip all the way around before it hits the floor. Our tables aren't high enough, you know. Mum showed me once."  
  
Harry found himself smiling at the mental image of Luna and her mother pushing toast off tables in order to test their hypothesis.  
  
"So, the moral is...just accept the toast falling that way and eat it anyhow?"  
  
"Oh no," Luna said, "There could be Gimpies lurking on the floor, you know. They're very tiny, so you'd never know if they were there or not."  
  
"Okay," Harry said, even more confused than before, "So then it's...to just make more toast?"  
  
"That's one," she said, before leaning close and whispering: "But Mum and me found a secret...if you lay your toast buttered side down on your plate they land buttered-side up if they fall."  
  
"That's why you do that!" Harry exclaimed, "I always thought it was because - er - "  
  
"Because I'm odd?" She asked dreamily.  
  
"I don't think you're odd," Harry said, "But...I'm kind of wondering what all this has to do with telling Dumbledore."  
  
"Well, when you dropped the toast, you automatically assumed the worst, right?"  
  
"Uh...well, yeah..." Harry said, scratching his head.  
  
"Aren't you doing the same now?" 


	26. Luna's Year, Part XXVI

Harry greeted the chilly morning air with trepidation, wrapping his cloak more tightly around him as though it could shield him from more perilous things than the weather. Despite the chill, however, he couldn't quite stifle a determined yawn, coming so soon after a rather sleepless night; which was not altogether surprising, especially after so much reflection and soul-searching...he'd at last decided to bring the matter of Hermione's plan to Dumbledore.  
  
"Looks like we're the first ones," he said to his huddled friends, eyeing the Thestral-drawn carriages lined up along the snow-covered road to Hogsmeade. "All right, let's spread out. Keep a sharp eye out for Malfoy."  
  
He and his friends made their way along the long line of carriages, the sound of freshly fallen snow crunching beneath their boots reverberating in the cold dawn. Their breaths gave off wisps of steam as they trudged along, scattering themselves amongst the carriages.  
  
"I'll have to learn that one," said Ron as he passed Harry, nodding towards Luna and Hermione ahead of him. Both girls had lit up the tips of their wands in a soft blueish light, giving them some welcome protection against the frigid air. "My toes are freezing already!"  
  
Harry smiled and watched him go. Neville and Ginny headed off in the opposite direction towards the rear of the line.  
  
Harry waited next to one of the middle carriages, as he wanted to be in a good spot where he could easily intercept the Headmaster the moment he emerged from the gatehouse. Harry yawned again, quite unable to help himself. He'd hardly slept the previous night, the forthcoming excursion occupying his thoughts and worries.  
  
Much as he hated to admit it, he was beginning to wonder if his anger towards the Headmaster had made him stubborn to the point of deliberately withholding their plans from him. Something Luna had said had stirred the embers of doubt within him; had he deluded himself into such a course? In any case, Hermione had brought up a point that night in the Common Room that had hit home as much as Luna's observation had shortly before.  
  
Remember how you didn't want to tell Luna about her Dad at first, Hermione had remarked, That's just what Dumbledore did with you, didn't he?  
  
He realized with a shock that he'd been trying to shelter Luna just as the Headmaster had himself done, much to his chagrin. Thereupon opinion of the old school master had taken a sudden turn for the better. Either way, he didn't want to think any more on the matter, lest he should change his mind again. He would tell Dumbledore and that was that.  
  
They'd been standing outside for a few minutes until Harry saw someone approach from the shadows of the gatehouse. It was Snape, of all people, bundled in a black overcoat and looking decidedly displeased to see Harry present. The Potions Master raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing, moving down the line to where Hagrid was fiddling with one of the harnesses.  
  
A small trickle of students gradually emerged from the castle, Filch at their head. At the moment, there was no sign of Dumbledore, though Harry did spot Zacharias Smith, which wasn't terribly difficult as he was making a determined beeline straight for him, looking greatly irritated. Great, thought Harry, now what? Well, at least he's got two eyes again...  
  
"Er, morning," greeted Harry, trying to head off the clearly agitated Hufflepuff with at least an attempt at cordiality.  
  
"I'm not teaming up with Finnegan ever again, Potter," complained Zacharias, wagging his finger at Harry without so much as a preliminary hello. "Next time dump the goof on somebody else, will you?"  
  
"Hey, it's not my fault you got hit with that jinx!" protested Harry. "Anyway, you were the last two to arrive, so I had to put you together. Next time just show up a bit early, that's all."  
  
Zacharias shot him a warning glance and skulked off to one of the carriages at the head of the line, much to Harry's relief. He didn't have time for this now.  
  
More students were now filing outside. Harry kept an eye out for Malfoy and Dumbledore. He took a few steps back until his back was leaning against the door to the carriage.  
  
He caught sight of Cho emerge from the growing crowd of students, with that living snitch Marietta Edgecombe still at her side, talking animatedly. He realized with dread that they were heading right in his direction. Harry quickly averted his eyes.  
  
No, no, no, he thought furiously, seeing them approach out of the corner of his eye, trying to will them away. He'd hardly spoken to Cho all year, even in DA class, and he was in no mood to do so here.  
  
Away! Go away! he burned the thought in his mind over and over, shouting it in his head, and was immensely surprised to see their shadows pause a moment before veering off towards the front of the line. His shoulders relaxed as he exhaled a large breath of cooped-up air, the steam blurring his vision momentarily. He looked back towards the gathering crowd.  
  
Pansy Parkinson. The 'gitette', as he'd christened her a few days before. She was with the same group of younger Slytherin girls he'd seen her with that night near the Great Hall. But there was no sign of Malfoy or his cronies.  
  
Or Dumbledore, for that matter. He was beginning to get anxious.  
  
He looked left and right, trying to catch sight of Ron and Neville on either side of him, in case they'd spotted the Slytherins. He assumed they hadn't, their eyes being still trained on the incoming students.  
  
Ron and Parkinson exchanged a few social 'pleasantries' just as she herded her troupe into the carriage behind him. She had a sour look on her face as she stepped up, no doubt frustrated by the fact there was little she could do to intimidate the redhead, him being a fellow Prefect.  
  
"Harry!"  
  
He glanced to his left and saw Susan Bones making her way towards him, her long Hufflepuff scarf wrapped snugly around her neck. He smiled at her as she approached.  
  
"Hey, your friends are right over there, you know," she said, pointing over her shoulder. "I think they're waiting for you too, from the looks of it. Didn't any of you guys see each other? You're all standing around here like sentries!" she laughed.  
  
"Oh, yeah," said Harry awkwardly, trying to appear casually unworried. "Yeah I'll go check with them in a bit. I'm just, er, waiting for someone. Thanks, Susan."  
  
She smiled at him and left to join a group of Hufflepuffs shuffling towards the front of the line. I don't need all these distractions right now, thought Harry plaintively, scanning the crowd for Dumbledore.  
  
Harry continued to wait impatiently for the better part of a quarter hour, observing silently as the crowd gradually thinned out. He was becoming concerned, having seen no sign of the Headmaster thus far. He started looking along the line of carriages in case he'd somehow missed him.  
  
Where's Hagrid? he thought. The huge gamekeeper was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he'd know where Dumbledore was.  
  
A few minutes later Harry and his friends were the only students still outside the carriages. Snape made his way over to him, looking at him coldly. "Get aboard, Potter," he said, pointing at the empty carriage behind Harry. "The coaches are preparing to leave. Unless, of course, you'd prefer to continue to wallow like a guttersnipe out here?"  
  
Harry shot him a nasty look, but swallowed his retort. "Excuse me, 'sir'," said Harry grudgingly, "but do you know where Professor Dumbledore is?  
  
Snape looked at him snidely. "The Headmaster is already in Hogsmeade, Potter. Now get aboard."  
  
Harry's heart sank. He'd have to tell Dumbledore of their plan right in the midst of its execution, or at best with minutes to spare.  
  
Harry waved his friends over before turning his back to the Potions Master and climbing aboard the carriage he'd been saving.  
  
Ron was the first to clamber aboard after him, his face reddened with cold. "Blimey, this is nutter weather! It's freezing!" he complained through chattering teeth, taking a seat next to Harry.  
  
The others clambered aboard just as the lead carriages from the front of the line started forward. "Okay," he said once they were all seated, "did anyone catch which carriage Malfoy's on?"  
  
"I didn't see him," said Ron, blowing warm breath into his hands and rubbing them together furiously.  
  
"Same here," said Ginny.  
  
"Neither did I," answered Hermione.  
  
"Ditto," Neville said.  
  
"Nor I," chimed Luna.  
  
Harry gaped at them. "Are you sure? He must be here somewhere!"  
  
Hermione looked worried. "You don't suppose he stayed behind, do you?"  
  
"Blimey," said Ron worriedly, "there goes the plan - "  
  
Blast! Thought Harry. He should have made sure about Malfoy...he never thought he'd see the day when he needed the Slytherin, but -  
  
Maybe Snape would know, he thought.  
  
He rushed to the door just as the carriage lurched forward, sending him stumbling onto Ginny, who was seated near the door on the rear bench.  
  
"Ouch! OW!!" cried Ginny as he stepped on her toes and hit his head painfully against hers. He barely managed to brace his hand against the rear wall in time to prevent himself from falling completely on top of her.  
  
"Crikey, Harry! If you want to sit here, just say so!!" she snapped, rubbing her forehead painfully and glaring up at him.  
  
"Sorry!" said Harry hastily, shoving himself away from the wall and opening the carriage door. "Prof - "  
  
But the Potions master was already in the shadows of the gatehouse, heading back into the castle, his dark cloak billowing behind him with each stride. Harry watch him go with apprehension, reluctantly closing the door when Ron started to complain about the cold draft permeating the cabin.  
  
"Snape's staying too," said Harry darkly as he retook his seat. "Something's going on..."  
  
"Well I wouldn't have expected him to come, Harry," said Hermione, handing her wand to Ron to warm up his freezing toes. "Don't forget, now that Malfoy's been warned his position is at risk too."  
  
"Yeah...so? I guess I'm not following," said Harry. "Why would that keep him from coming?"  
  
"Well just think, Harry - if Malfoy is staying at Hogwarts, Voldemort is bound to suspect someone tipped him off, don't you think?"  
  
"Well, that makes sense," Luna chimed in. "Only Professor Snape knew about it, didn't he?"  
  
"As far as You-Know-Who knows, anyway," added Ginny, still rubbing her head.  
  
"Well, his cover's blown now," said Hermione darkly. "And he knows it too. He's not about to go wandering where Death Eaters are liable to be lurking."  
  
"Well at least I won't run into him for a few hours," remarked Neville with relief. Ron chuckled.  
  
Well, thought Harry, it's no big loss. At least it would take away one potential headache once they reached Hogsmeade. So long as Dumbledore was there, that's all that mattered, after all. He'd figure out some way to capture Lestrange; after all, she'd still be there, having no way to divine Malfoy's absence. Harry was beginning to really kick himself for only deciding at the last minute to tell the Headmaster...he could have done so days ago, he knew regretfully...  
  
"Well if the git doesn't show, what do we do?" asked Ron, running Hermione's wand under his toes. "None of exactly looks like Malfoy, do we?"  
  
Harry blinked. He hadn't a clue.  
  
"Maybe we can get a wig or something," suggested Neville meekly. "I could try and impersonate him..."  
  
Harry caught Hermione and Ginny exchanging a knowing glance.  
  
"What?" asked Harry desperately. "If you two have an idea, now's the time. We really could use a backup plan right about now."  
  
Hermione looked at him. She appeared nervous for some reason, apparently considering something very carefully. Ginny had taken to staring at the ceiling, seemingly determined not to utter a word. Hermione finally spoke, though rather hesitantly.  
  
"Now...please don't get upset, Harry," she said nervously. "But...there's something we haven't told you - "  
  
"Hold on!" interrupted Ginny, scrambling for the door. "I'm going to ride this out on the roof!"  
  
Hermione pulled her back by her scarf. Ginny squealed and fell back to her seat.  
  
"Oh no, you don't!" exclaimed Hermione.  
  
"Hey, now just a minute!" said Harry. "You're making it sound like I'm liable to go berserk or something!"  
  
Hermione looked at him nervously. "Well...you do tend to lose your temper sometimes, Harry..."  
  
Ron looked at Harry then back to Hermione. "Harry? Lose him temper? Naaaahhhh!"  
  
Hermione shot Ron a withering look.  
  
"Look, I won't lose my temper, all right?" assured Harry, becoming a bit irritated though trying his best to hide it. "Just spill it!"  
  
"Only if you promise you won't erupt!" said Ginny.  
  
"Oh, for - yes, I promise!" exclaimed Harry, becoming increasingly frustrated. What was this thing they'd kept from him?? Why were they so reluctant to share it with him? "I'll stun him if he starts foaming at the mouth," joked Ron.  
  
"They're not really buttered side down types, are they?" Luna asked Harry dreamily.  
  
Everyone looked at her.  
  
"Eh?" said Ron. A smile formed on Harry's face. No, they aren't, he thought. He had to admit though, they did have reason to expect the worst from him, especially when it came to withholding information.  
  
"Okay, look," said Harry a bit more calmly, sitting back, "I promise I won't get mad. But I'd really like to know whatever it is you're not telling me before we get there!"  
  
Hermione seemed to relax a little. "Okay," she said slowly. "Harry...now keep in mind...we didn't know at the time...but...well..."  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes and took a deep breath.  
  
"WetoldDumbledoreabouttheplantouseMalfoyasbaitintogetLestrange," she blurted out in lightning fashion.  
  
Harry gaped at her. "Huh? Can you try that again, only a bit slower this time? I didn't get any of that."  
  
"What Ginny's so delicately trying to say, Harry," said Hermione, "is that we told Dumbledore about the plan. Ginny and I."  
  
Harry blinked. "You...you did?"  
  
Hermione looked very anxious. "Yes," she said meekly.  
  
A flood of relief came over Harry. He'd been ready to curse himself to eternity for not having decided on that very course from the start, especially now as Dumbledore hadn't shown up that morning. He slouched back in his seat, his anxiety leaving him as a balloon loosed from a child's grasp.  
  
He started to laugh.  
  
Hermione looked even more distressed, sliding to the edge of her seat closer to him. "Oh Harry, please understand...we told him that morning, just before breakfast, before we saw you...we really didn't know then that you didn't want to tell him..."  
  
But the sight of Hermione's worried expression just made him laugh harder.  
  
"Blimey, he's cracked, I think," said Ron, looking between Harry and Hermione. Harry saw Luna staring at him, her large, silvery eyes wide with bewilderment, head tilted slightly to one side, her pixieish expression making him laugh even harder. A dreamy smile slowly dawned on her face.  
  
Evidently his other friends seemed to take Ron's word at face value, gaping at Harry as though he'd lost his mind.  
  
"Harry," Hermione said gently, "are you...all right?"  
  
Harry took his glasses off and wiped his eyes. "Oh yeah," he said, still half laughing. "I guess I had that coming, didn't I?"  
  
"You're not mad?" asked Ginny a bit dubiously.  
  
"Oh no," Harry said, looking at her through blurry eyes. "I've been wanting to tell Dumbledore since this morning."  
  
Hermione started breathing normally again. Ginny flopped back in her seat, looking intensely relieved. Ron and Neville looked at each other as though not grasping what all the fuss had been about. Luna was now gazing dreamily off into the countryside from her window seat.  
  
Harry donned his glasses again. "So that means...that's why he's gone to Hogsmeade already, isn't it?"  
  
"Bet he's already got old Bellatrix bagged for us," said Ron hopefully.  
  
"How can he, though?" countered Ginny. "Malfoy's still at school, and you know she's not going to come out in the open if he's not around."  
  
They all sat perplexed. Harry wondered what plan Dumbledore might have thought up. Was that what was being discussing that night in his office with Lupin and the others?  
  
"Well, maybe he - " Hermione began.  
  
Luna's large eyes widened precipitously as she shot into a bolt upright sitting position, just moments before their carriage rolled to a halt.  
  
"What is it?" asked Harry, looking out the window, noting it seemed unusually dreary, as though the sky had become suddenly heavily overcast. "Are we there - "  
  
At that moment a grotesque clawed hand blasted through the roof of their carriage, groping blindly. Ginny and Hermione let out a simultaneous shriek as all shrunk away from it.  
  
"BLIMEY!" exclaimed Ron, pointing Hermione's wand up at the hand. "Expelliarmus!!"  
  
A string of colourful butterflies emerged from the tip of the wand, flooding the cabin.  
  
"Bloody Hell!"  
  
He tossed the wand back to Hermione and fumbled in his robes for his own, just as a second hand punched through the roof, grabbing hold of its frayed edge and ripping it back, the wood splintering under the strain.  
  
"Expecto Patronum!" shouted Hermione, a silvery otter emerging from her wand and shooting up through the hole in the roof. The clawed hands quickly withdrew.  
  
A pane of glass shattered, Ginny shrieking when the horrific visage of a Dementor appeared at her window, its clawed hand grasping her arm in a vice- like grip.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" cried Neville reflexively, the ray from his wand striking the Dementor right in the 'face', though for all the results it produced he might have been blowing soap bubbles.  
  
"Expecto Patronum!" yelled Harry, quickly conjuring up the memory of Luna telling her version of the goldilocks story, his familiar silver stag bolting from his wand and smashing through the side of the carriage. The Dementor reeled back, releasing Ginny.  
  
Harry opened the window on his side of the carriage and stuck his head out. "Thestral! Go!"  
  
His words were no sooner out of his mouth when he realised there was no longer anything attached to the front of the coach.  
  
"Blast!" he said, ducking his head back into the carriage. "Everybody out!"  
  
Harry led the way out the gaping hole his Patronus had made, wand at the ready. He looked about, seeing no sign of the Dementors, or of anyone else, for that matter, other than some rapidly freezing butterflies swirling about them.  
  
"Where are we?" He asked. He saw his patronus trotting back to him from the edge of a clump of trees, dissipating as it came.  
  
Luna moved next to him. "We weren't on the right road with the others, actually. I just noticed when we rounded the curve," she pointed to a series of large boulders along the side of the carriage. "I sometimes come here to read when it's nice out...we've branched off the main road."  
  
"Where's the Thestral?" asked Neville from the front of the coach, crouching down and inspecting the snow-covered path. "There's no tracks!"  
  
Harry heard a loud crack! from somewhere in the small grove of trees his Patronus had returned from. The sound was indicative of someone Apparating...or was it Disapparating?  
  
The missing Thestral was the last of Harry's worries at the moment as he turned to Luna. "Are we far from Hogsmeade? Can we get there fast enough from here - "  
  
"Yes," she said, setting off immediately on the path the carriage had followed. They all scrambled to catch up with her. Harry noticed that the Thestral's tracks were clearly visible behind the abandoned coach...  
  
They'd gone perhaps a hundred or so yards when they came upon the main road again, the tracks of many Thestral-drawn carriages quite evident here. The sight at least offered some comfort to Harry; there was no sign that anything amiss had happened to the other coaches.  
  
They ran as well as they could in the ankle-deep snow, the outskirts of the village coming into view a few short minutes later. Harry could see the now empty carriages parked alongside the road. Hagrid was jogging back towards them, his massive crossbow in hand.  
  
"Oy!" he said breathlessly when they finally met. "Wha' happened to ye all? Where's yer carriage?"  
  
"We were attacked by Dementors, Hagrid," said Hermione. "We have to tell Professor Dumbledore!"  
  
"Ye didn'a!" said Hagrid incredulously, fidgeting with his crossbow and looking around them as though expecting more of the fearsome creatures to come streaming out of the woods at any moment. "Well, come on, 'en!"  
  
They all marched briskly into the village, Harry hearing Ron to say: "How'd they know we were in that carriage, I wonder? Almost like they were watching us, wasn't it?"  
  
"Professor Dumbledore's jus' up the street a bit, Harry," said Hagrid, as they arrived in the midst of the bustling streets; their fellow students were still blissfully unaware of what had just taken place, busily deciding which shops to visit first.  
  
"Hey!" exclaimed Ron from behind them. "There's the git!"  
  
Harry looked to where Ron was pointing. Sure enough, he could see the unmistakable figure of Draco Malfoy standing in the middle of the sloping hill in the distance, roughly halfway to the Shrieking Shack and apparently content to stand there idly. Harry was struck by conflicting emotions - Malfoy was in a very exposed position there - but yet, it was Malfoy, after all...  
  
"Holy cricket! Look at that," said Hermione, elbowing Harry. "Is he trying to get himself killed or - "  
  
"It's not him," said Luna, peeking between them. "I think it's your friend Tonks, actually."  
  
Harry turned to her and smiled. "I'm so glad you're on our side."  
  
"Eh?" Neville said, squinting at the apparent figure of Malfoy. "How can she tell?"  
  
"Trust me, she can," said Harry. He caught sight of someone out of the corner of his eye, moving towards them.  
  
"Professor!" said Harry animatedly as the wizened Headmaster of Hogwarts drew up to him. "Are you - is Tonks - "  
  
Dumbledore smiled benignly, his clear blue eyes serene, holding up his hands. "Relax, Harry," he said, leaning closer and speaking in a low voice, forcing the others to huddle around to hear. "All is well in hand. Tonks is quite safe, you needn't worry. We've been working since early this morning, there are temporary wards scattered throughout the village to prevent anyone Apparating or casting Unforgivable Curses within its confines."  
  
Harry glanced over at Malfoy...er, Tonks, he realized.  
  
"But she's outside the village," he said worriedly, surprised that Dumbledore would be letting her stand out there on her own. "What if - "  
  
"She's well protected by a charm of my own devising, Harry," said Dumbledore serenely. "And a rather clever one, if I may say so myself. There are a dozen members of the Order concealed nearby under disillusionment charms as well. The instant Mrs. Lestrange chooses to make her appearance - "  
  
"Professor," interrupted Hermione, "we were just assailed by Dementors on the way tot eh village; somehow we took a wrong turn and our Thestral vanished - "  
  
The Headmaster blinked. He seemed briefly disquieted by this news, though the change in countenance lasted but a moment. Bu then, Harry was well aware of Dumbledore's intense dislike of the former guards of Azkaban prison.  
  
"Well, Miss Granger, I can assure you, you shan't be so attacked on the return trip." he said, looking at the others who had gathered round. "Please, do try to enjoy yourself while in the village. Madam Rosmerta has brewed up a particularly endearing concoction of cherry syrup and lemon juice. I would recommend it highly."  
  
With that, the Headmaster moved off to join Professor McGonagall and Alastor Moody near the post office across the street.  
  
Harry stared at him, dumbfounded. It didn't seem to him as though he was taking the matter seriously at all, Order or no Order. And what's worse, he'd felt as though he'd just been dismissed...again!  
  
He looked over towards Malfoy/Tonks. She seemed so defenceless there, regardless of Dumbledore's assurance to the contrary. He turned to Luna.  
  
"Can you see anyone else out there? Apart from Mal - Tonks, I mean?"  
  
She nodded serenely. "Yes," she said. "There are people all around her, actually."  
  
Hermione touched his arm. "I think Dumbledore's got everything in hand, Harry," she said. "Maybe we should just - "  
  
"Look, I'm not going to take any chances," Harry overrode her. "We're talking about Luna's dad here. I'm going to stay right here and just keep an eye out, just in case. You guys can go inside if you want."  
  
Hermione looked embarrassed. "No, I didn't mean...no, no, of course you're right, Harry."  
  
"Well, one of us should go get some butterbeer or something," suggested Ron. "I could really use something to drink after all that."  
  
"Good idea," Harry agreed. "I'll take a butterbeer."  
  
"A gillywater and onion for me, please," Luna breezed, tucking her glowing blue wand back behind her ear.  
  
Neville moved closer. "Do you think they have any - "  
  
"Hey, now wait a minute!" protested Ron, shoulders rising and hands outstretched, "Why does it have to be me? I just suggested it, that's all! Why can't Gin here go and get the stuff?"  
  
Ginny eyes flew wide with indignation. "Hey! I'm not your personal serving wench here, RONALD WEASLEY!" she shot in a credible imitation of Molly Weasley. Ron winced, evidently recalling the similarity to a certain howler he'd once received.  
  
"Well, there's an easy way to decide, you know," said Luna dreamily, turning to Ron. "Pick a number."  
  
Ron blinked. He glanced at Harry, though he was just as confused as Ron was. "Er...what's...well, eight, I guess..."  
  
Luna shook her head. "That wasn't it. I'm sorry, Ronald. You lose."  
  
Ron gawked at her, mouth agape.  
  
Luna observed him serenely. "Oh, a goldfish," she said dreamily. "No, wait - a guppy!"  
  
"Blimey!" said Ron indignantly. "I'm not playing charades here! What kind of rubbish was that - "  
  
"I think I'll try that cherry lemon drink," said Hermione, "You, Ginny?"  
  
Ginny seemed to calm down in the face of Ron's 'loss', though exactly what Luna's game had been, no one could begin to fathom. "Make that two, 'garçon'," she said, sticking her tongue out at her brother for good measure.  
  
"Grapefruit juice for me if they have some," added Neville. "If not, a butterbeer's fine."  
  
"You're all mad, that's what!" exclaimed Ron. "If you think I'm going to fall for some crackpot trick like that - "  
  
A scathing look from Hermione shut him up. "Oh fine then!" he said before storming off to the Three Broomsticks, grumbling all the way.  
  
Even with the butterbeer, Harry found himself getting intensely cold after about half an hour of relative inactivity. They therefore decided to rotate, two taking turns inside the soothing warmth of the inn while the rest kept watch outside.  
  
Harry found it a very strange sight to see the apparent figure of Draco Malfoy contentedly making a snowman in the distance. He fought an urge to run over and tell Tonks the Slytherin would be highly unlikely to engage in such activities...  
  
An hour later it was Harry and Luna's turn to go inside. By now his toes were intensely cold; his wands were a bit better off as Luna had periodically warmed them up using her wand.  
  
They sat at a table near the corner, Harry recalling it had been the same one they'd sat at several months previously during the year's first Hogsmeade weekend. Neither bothered to take their coats off, should they be called outside at a moment's notice.  
  
"Luna," said Harry softly after Madam Rosmerta had delivered their drinks, "how are you holding up? Don't get discouraged, just because Lestrange hasn't shown up yet doesn't mean anything...I'm sure she'll turn up sooner or later."  
  
Luna stared at him over her gillywater. "I know," she said serenely. "Harry, it's rather nice of all of you to be helping like this, really."  
  
Harry smiled. "Well, you're pretty much an honorary Gryffindor, like Ginny says...we tend to stick together."  
  
Luna smiled dreamily. "I've noticed," she said airily. "You know, I was very nearly sorted into Gryffindor; it took quite a while for the Sorting Hat to decide where to put me, actually. But in the end it sorted me into Ravenclaw, of course, just like Mum."  
  
"Hey, I just remembered," said Harry, "what were you going to say the other night? About your mum?"  
  
"Oh...well..." began Luna, "Mum was really quite extraordinary, you know. She had - " she hesitated.  
  
"Hey, it's okay," said Harry quickly, sensing that he might be treading into some very personal territory. "We don't have to talk about that if you don't - "  
  
Luna shook her head. "No, it's not that," she whispered furtively, breaking eye contact with him, her gaze distant. "Harry, now don't overreact..."  
  
"I won't," he said earnestly. He wondered what could possibly make her think he'd react so strongly?  
  
Luna turned her eyes back on him. "She's here," she said softly.  
  
Harry blinked. "Wha - your mum?" He felt a surge of amazement...could it be? He thought. He started to turn around.  
  
"Don't turn!" whispered Luna, Harry catching himself just in time.  
  
"Why not? What's going on? Who's here?"  
  
"Bellatrix Lestrange," said Luna quietly. Her hand moved to her impaled onion, using it to stir her drink, trying to give an air of normalcy.  
  
Harry's eyes widened, his pulse quickening markedly. "Where is she?" he whispered.  
  
Luna took a slight sip from her gillywater, her eyes darting ever so briefly to the far corner of the room near the back of the bar. Harry very slowly reached into his robes, grasping his wand. Luna made to brush back her hair and in one smooth motion pulled her wand from behind her ear, holding it concealed under the table.  
  
Harry could hear the loud chatter in the place continue unabated. No one seemed to bat an eye at the presence of a Death Eater, he observed.  
  
"Doesn't anybody notice her?" he asked in a low voice.  
  
Luna very slightly shook her head. "I think she's disillusioned, Harry," she whispered. "She's standing in the far corner...watching us."  
  
Harry's mind raced. Did he dare take her on in here, with so many students around? One mistake could be disastrous...  
  
He was furiously contemplating a plan of action when Luna froze. "She's moving," she whispered.  
  
Harry braced himself to snap around in an instant, holding his wand tightly under his coat. "Where?"  
  
Luna's eyes moved slowly to his right. "She's moving to the back of the bar...no wait...she's..."  
  
Luna bolted up from her chair. Harry spun around to see the door at the back of the room swing shut. "Did she - "  
  
"Yes!" said Luna, rushing past him. Harry leapt up so fast his elbow hit the table and upended their drinks, his chair toppling over noisily. Everyone's eyes turned on the two of them, Harry with his wand drawn, though Luna held hers at her side still. He ran past her and swung open the door.  
  
"Oy!" a short bald man in a kitchen apron said loudly upon seeing them. " 'Tis the kitchen 'ere, lad! Off be with ye!"  
  
Harry glanced about. The Three Broomsticks kitchen was a veritable clutter; there were many shelves and racks lining the walls, crates were scattered throughout, and old oak barrels were stacked in the corners. Dozens of large pots hung from the ceiling. He glimpsed the two large ovens, already jammed to capacity cooking the student's lunches.  
  
"Harry!" said Luna, trying to squeeze in from behind him. "You can't see, let me through - "  
  
At that moment Harry saw the door leading outside on the opposite wall open and close quickly, though he could see no one step through. He held no doubt that Lestrange had just made her exit. He sprinted over to the door, jumping over a crate and running past a loudly protesting cook, Luna at his heels.  
  
He opened the door and held his wand at the ready. This time, however, the snow outside betrayed Lestrange's presence as Harry caught sight of footprints treading along quickly towards a large house across the street. He ran forward, aiming his wand a few feet above the shifting snow.  
  
"Finite Incantatum!"  
  
A flash of light flew from his wand and halted in midair near the house's front door. There was a resulting flash of sparks, the figure of Bellatrix Lestrange immediately materializing as she ran up the steps and flew through the entrance, throwing one glance back at him just before slamming the door shut behind her.  
  
"Blast!" he ran for it, suddenly wishing he'd shot off an immobilizing spell instead. There was no time to get Dumbledore; they had Lestrange at their fingertips, and he was determined not to let her get away. They had to get to her before she got out of range of Dumbledore's anti- disapparating wards...  
  
He ran up the steps to the grey-bricked house, pulling the door open so fast that it creaked precariously on its hinges. He was surprised Lestrange hadn't bothered to lock it behind her.  
  
He looked about the landing. The dwelling obviously belonged to someone well-to-do; the long hallway extended some dozen yards beyond, a flight of stairs lead up on his left and another lead to the right. Two doors lined the walls of the corridor at the far end, facing each other. There was no sign of Lestrange. He wondered if she could have disillusioned herself again so quickly. He held his breath and listened carefully.  
  
He just realized he'd been blocking the doorway as Luna finally shoved her way past him, her wand now drawn.  
  
"Is she - "  
  
"No," said Luna, glancing around. "Harry, we'd best get Prof - "  
  
A loud crash reverberated through the house, coming from somewhere beneath them. Harry flew to the staircase on the right, the one leading down, hope coursing through him. If Lestrange was in the basement, they just might be able to corner her.  
  
They emerged into a square, mahogany-panelled room, each wall lined with large, ornately carved bookcases, a softly glowing chandelier hanging from the ceiling. On either side of them stood a door made from dark wood. Harry moved to the one on the left, turning to Luna. "Get ready," he whispered. He grasped the handle and turned.  
  
He yanked the door open and peered in. Something was moving in the darkness.  
  
"Lumos!" he said, his wand tip lighting up brightly.  
  
The sight that greeted his eyes him chilled him to the core.  
  
A tall, skeletally-thin figure draped in a dark, bat-collared cloak emerged from the shadows, red, slitted catlike eyes contrasting frightfully with its unnaturally pale, skull-like head. A wand held in its pale spider-like hand was pointed straight at Harry.  
  
Harry's own wand flew up in an instant. "Avada - " 


	27. Luna's Year, Part XXVII

"Bloody Hell," Ron yammered, both hands tucked under his armpits, "They're doing this on purpose! They're stalling!"  
  
"Oh come off it, Ron," Hermione admonished, "It won't kill us to stay outside a while longer, it's not that cold anymore."  
  
"That's not the point!" Ron grumbled, "We all agreed to rotate every fifteen minutes; They're abusing the system!"  
  
"There's a system?" Neville asked in between sips of butterbeer.  
  
"Too right there is! Fifteen minutes each, remember?! That's it, I'm getting them," Ron said resolutely and turned to go.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione said furiously, stopping him in his tracks, "Will you come off it? Why can't you let them be?!"  
  
Ron rounded on her. "We all agreed, Hermione! Each out turn inside, and blimey, you're the one who came up with the idea!"  
  
Hermione threw her head back and let go a growl of frustration. "Honestly, Ron," she said heatedly, "Even you can't be so blind. Let's just leave them alone for a while, all right?"  
  
Ron blinked, putting a hand to his chest. "Blind? Me? What are you talking about?" He asked, "Blind to what exactly?"  
  
Hermione sighed, discerning Ginny observing her curiously. "Do I have to spell it out for you, Ron?"  
  
"Well, yeah, seeing as I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about!" He exclaimed.  
  
Hermione was tempted to pull her hair out. "Harry likes Luna, Ron!!" She blurted a bit louder than she'd really intended, a few nearby third year Hufflepuffs turning to glance in her direction, "I can't make it much clearer!"  
  
Ron stared at her, mouth open. "W-what?" He asked disbelievingly after several seconds. "Say that again?"  
  
Ginny's took a step closer, eyes widening.  
  
"You heard me," Hermione said obdurately.  
  
"YES!!!" Ginny shrieked, leaping into the air and punching the air with her fist triumphantly, prompting students mingling in the snow blanketed street to abandon their own conversations and openly ogle them.  
  
"HEY!" Ron shouted at his sister, "Easy there! What are you talking about, Hermione? Harry likes Luna? You're joking, right? Y-you're just trying to pull my leg right?"  
  
Hermione crossed her arms and glared at him.  
  
Ginny was dancing all around them, her red hair and scarf flying wildly with every bounce. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"  
  
"STUFF IT!" Ron barked at her, though he might as well have been blowing soap bubbles for all the effect it had. "He...but he can't...I mean what about..."  
  
Neville looked rather nonplussed. He took a sip from his butterbeer, his other hand in his pocket as he looked on interestedly as though watching a busker's performance.  
  
"But...but we're his best mates!" Ron blurted out desperately in a high pitched voice.  
  
"He likes her! He likes her! He likes her!"  
  
"BUGGER OFF!!!" Ron roared after Ginny had pressed her nose against his while voicing another He Likes Her!  
  
"Look," Hermione said, moving forward and taking hold of Ron's arm in an attempt to settle him down lest Ginny's exuberant glee polarize Ron further, "That hasn't changed, Ron. You're looking at this all wrong."  
  
"How??" Ron said, exasperated, "I know Harry! He would've told me something if - "  
  
Hermione sighed again, rubbing her hand over her forehead. "Well...to be honest, I don't know if Harry even realizes it himself, really. At least not yet, anyway."  
  
Ron's shoulders went limp. "You're...serious, aren't you?"  
  
"Ron! For goodness' sake, stop acting like such a prat!" Hermione admonished, "It's good that they've gotten close; I happen to think it's very sweet!"  
  
"Sweet...yeah..." Ron said, looking thoroughly depressed.  
  
"You know," Ginny said excitedly, her russet hair all askew after her energetic dance, "I kinda thought he might be taking a liking to her. I mean she's rubbing off on him a little, did you notice?"  
  
"Okay look," Hermione said, motioning them all close, "Let's not go jumping to all kinds of conclusions about this, all right?"  
  
"What?? Why? You just said it yourself - " Ginny asked.  
  
"Well...I'm not sure if Luna has any idea about how Harry feels either," Hermione said pensively.  
  
"Then there's hope!" Ron said optimistically.  
  
Hermione shot him a withering look. "Look," she said, addressing Ginny, "I know Harry feels something for Luna, even if he won't admit it. Or realize it. And anyway, I don't know how Luna would react if she knew...she's not exactly the most conventional person I've ever met..."  
  
"Why, do you think she'd get scared?" Neville asked, jumping into the conversation for the first time.  
  
"Luna? Hah!" Ginny laughed, "Not a chance!"  
  
"But we don't know for sure," Hermione pleaded, "There's really no way to tell with her...she's just, well...so..."  
  
"Out there," Ron muttered.  
  
Hermione ignored him. "She might not be looking for that right now, is what I meant, Neville. I think she's happy just to have friends," she said, "Haven't you noticed how rarely she reads the Quibbler around us anymore?"  
  
Neville looked contemplative. "Now that you mention it..."  
  
"I think that she's enjoying the company she has in her life right now," Hermione said, "And I really think we should be happy that she and Harry are getting along so well. They're good for each other, Ron. Even if they don't realize it."  
  
"Well, mum's the word," Neville said, "So long as they're happy, then that's all that matters."  
  
"Thank you, Neville," Hermione said graciously, "I knew I could count on you at least to be a gentleman."  
  
Ron looked insulted. "I can be gentlemanly!"  
  
Hermione looked at him. "Ron, you kept calling those first years Munchkins at breakfast this morning!"  
  
"Yeah, well," Ron muttered, tracing circles in the snow with the tip of his boot, "This is something else...I want Harry to be happy too, you know."  
  
Hermione blinked, her heart feeling suddenly heavy in her chest. For one of the few times since they'd known each other, Ron had actually surprised her. Even Ginny seemed stunned.  
  
"I...that's really nice of you to say, Ron," Hermione said, feeling chagrined for having chastised him "We're not losing anyone, just think of it as gaining a new best friend, that's all."  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Oh, come on," Ginny said, nudging Ron in the ribs playfully, "Didn't you say the other day Luna's all right when Zacharias was putting her down?"  
  
"When she's talking Quidditch, sure!" Ron said, "And besides, that guy's a total git anyway. It's when she's talking about her Snorkbeaks - ""  
  
"Snorkacks," Hermione corrected impulsively.  
  
They all looked at her. "What?" She asked, seeing their stunned expressions. "Oh look, don't any of you go thinking for a minute that I actually believe in those things!"  
  
"Absolutely not," said Ron with greatly exaggerated seriousness.  
  
"Never crossed my mind." Ginny said serenely, hands clasped behind her back.  
  
"Oh...you...okay look," Hermione said heatedly, "I just happen to think that it's polite to pronounce them correctly, all right? For Luna's sake!"  
  
"But of course," Ron said regally.  
  
"Snor...kacks, then?" Neville asked.  
  
Hermione sighed in frustration and turned around, gazing out towards the hill rising up from the edge of town. She became momentarily alarmed at the sight of Malfoy/Tonks lying prone in the snow, though she quickly breathed a sigh of relief once she saw her arms and legs flapping back and forth, contentedly making snow angels.  
  
"Hey," a voice behind distracted her, turning around to see Seamus Finnegan marching up to them, looking rather piqued.  
  
"Oh, hi Seamus," she said cheerfully, trying to head him off.  
  
"You guys know where Harry is?" Seamus asked abruptly, without so much as an acknowledgment, "You know what that Zacharias Smith is going around telling people now? That I'm an incompetent buffoon! Can you believe that? He's telling people I'm a clown! I just made one little mistake - "  
  
"That happens to me a lot," Neville said, nodding.  
  
"I'll have Harry talk to him, Seamus," Hermione said, "For one thing, he shouldn't be going around telling people this, if some Slytherin should overhear they might find out about the DA - "  
  
"Maybe we can get him kicked out for that!" Ron suddenly piped up, looking hopeful.  
  
"Well, somebody better talk to him," Seamus said, "I can only apologize so many times! Anyway, didn't Harry come to Hogsmeade today? I thought I saw him standing near the carriages this morning."  
  
"He's here," said Neville, nodding towards the Three Broomsticks. "He's just inside getting warmed up with Luna."  
  
Ginny looked at him and giggled.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
"Well, he's not there now," Seamus said, "Lee and I were just in there. Anyway, tell him about Smith, will you?"  
  
Hermione promised she would, and Seamus marched off. Once he was safely out of earshot, she turned to Ron. "Did you see them leave?"  
  
"Not that I noticed," Ron said, "Hang on." He went over to one of the windows and peered inside, startling a group of third year Slytherin girls sitting at the window table.  
  
"Nope," Ron said after returning, "They're not in there. Think they've flown the coop?"  
  
Hermione shook her head. "No," she said darkly, "Harry wouldn't have left like that without a very good reason...let's go see Madam Rosmerta, maybe they went upstairs or something..."  
  
Ginny giggled again.  
  
"What?" Neville asked, "I'm missing something here, aren't I?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Avada - " Harry blurted, shaking wand leveled at Voldemort.  
  
Luna reached from behind and tugged his arm back. "That's an Unforgivable Curse, you know," she said serenely.  
  
"I KNOW, IT'S VOLDEMORT!!" Harry yelled, spinning back around and fully expecting to get hit with the killing curse in turn. He'd missed his only chance at destroying the Dark Lord, but as the two wands could not duel simultaneously he might still be able to achieve a stand-off -  
  
"It's a Boggart, actually," Luna said airily, "And I can hear you quite well in here, you know."  
  
Harry stared at the now stationary figure of Lord Voldemort standing before him; it hadn't spoken or otherwise uttered a single word, though it certainly looked convincing. So much so that he was hesitant to lower his wand.  
  
"Well, I suppose we can just leave it there," Luna said, "She's gone the other way, Harry. That's a broom closet."  
  
Luna became pensive for a moment. Then she leveled her wand at the figure of Voldemort. "Riddikulus," she said, as Harry watched the Dark Lord suddenly transform himself into a shockingly pink bunny rabbit slipper.  
  
Luna pulled her empty book bag from her liner pocket and flicked her wand at the slipper-shaped Boggart. It glided forward, Luna holding the gaping bag before it, until it had slipped inside and Luna drew the string shut. "Mobilicorpus," she said, tapping the bag with her wand and slipping the now lightweight sack over her shoulder.  
  
Harry stood confused. "What are you going to do with that?" he asked.  
  
Luna stared at him blankly for several moments. "Well...I don't know, actually," she said, "But it could come in useful, don't you think? Your friend Tonks isn't here, so this might be the next best thing."  
  
"Er, well, okay, I guess. It can't break out of there, can it?"  
  
"I shouldn't think so," Luna said serenely, "Professor Lupin told us it goes dormant when captured, you know."  
  
Luna gazed at the other door but didn't move. Harry strode past her, stopping when she took hold of his arm. "We'd better hurry, Luna" he said, "We can't let her get too far ahead!"  
  
"You know," she said slowly, looking sideways at him, "I rather get the impression that we're being led on, don't you?"  
  
"Er..." Harry thought. It did seem that way, he suddenly realized. Lestrange had seemed to slow down just prior entering the house, as though making sure they could see where she was headed. "You think she knows we're trying to use lure her in with Malfoy?"  
  
Luna turned to face him. "I think she's the lure, Harry," she said solemnly.  
  
Harry tightened his grip on his wand reflexively. If that was true -  
  
"Luna," he said softly, "You have to go back."  
  
She slowly shook her head, her eyes widening.  
  
"Please," Harry pleaded, unwilling to drag Luna with him into what might now be a potential trap, "You've got to warn professor Dumbledore. I'll keep after Lestrange."  
  
"You're not going alone, Harry," Luna said in a strangely resolute voice.  
  
"There's no time!" Harry said desperately, moving for the door, "Even if we - "  
  
"She's not trying to get away," Luna said seriously, "She's leading us on..."  
  
Harry looked at her. Her dreaminess had vanished, her large silver eyes gazing back at him with a very determined look. He briefly wondered if he could get through the door and lock it from the other beside before she could react...but then, nothing would prevent her from simply unlocking it from the other side...  
  
Hi shoulders sagged as he realized he wasn't going to be able to convince her to turn back. "Well...what do we do then?"  
  
She stared at him. "Well, we keep going," she said, "But Harry...I have to go on, you know...but you don't have to - "  
  
"Let's not even have that discussion," Harry said quickly, cutting her off. He was distraught enough that he was dragging her into this, the thought of letting her continue without him was unfathomable. "You're not going alone either."  
  
Luna gazed at him, and for a moment Harry thought she was going to protest. She seemed to be contemplating something for several moments, until a slight smile formed on her face. "This is your 'saving-people thing', isn't it?"  
  
Harry gaped at her. "I do not have a saving people thing!"  
  
"Of course you do," Luna said serenely. "Hermione told me."  
  
Harry opened his mouth but closed it just as quickly. He recalled quite vividly the heated argument he'd had with Hermione about going off the rescue Sirius...if he'd only listened...  
  
But this was different. He knew it was.  
  
He moved to the opposite door and pressed his ear against its ornately carved surface. Detecting no sound emanating from the other side, he gently turned the antique pewter handle, grimacing with every little metallic click the lock mechanism made.  
  
Thankfully, the door itself opened silently on its hinges. Before him lay a wide corridor, dimly lit by a single Victorian lamp hanging from the ceiling, leading to another door at the far end. To the right was a grey and white marble pedestal, surrounded at its base by broken shards of something that had obviously once been a large porcelain sculpture. He drew forward slowly, being mindful not to step on any broken pieces.  
  
"Statuarius Reparo," Luna voiced softly behind him. Harry permitted himself an inward smile; she just had to see what the sculpture had been prior to its fragmentation.  
  
He crept along quietly and listened at the far door; like the first, it provided no clue as to what might lie beyond. He turned the handle and slowly pushed it open. A darkened room opened up before him, the only source of light stemming from the corridor he stood in, so all he could see were vague shadows and dark shapes.  
  
"Nox," he said. At the same moment, Luna said something behind him that he didn't quite register.  
  
"Catch!" A female voice cried from somewhere ahead. Harry caught a glimpse of what looked to be an old sock flying straight for his face, his Seeker's reflexes kicking in as he swatted it away smartly.  
  
Harry immediately lurched off his feet, feeling himself being drawn upwards as though a giant had pulled him up roughly by the collar. He came to the sickening realization that he'd more than likely just swatted a portkey, and to make matters worse, he hadn't kept a grip on it. Wherever he was going, it was now a one-way trip. A myriad of colors swirled about him, dizzying him for a few moments, when suddenly his vision cleared and he found himself surrounded momentarily blinded.  
  
He stumbled slightly as his feet sank to the ankles in the snow, though managing to keep his balance. The brightness which now engulfed him made him squint, his eyes still acclimating themselves from the relative darkness of the manor. A chilling breeze lapped at his robes; Harry pulled his scarf snugly around his neck.  
  
The area around him was surrounded by snow-covered, gently rolling hills. He slowly turned on the spot, gazing at a series of massive, roughly rectangular stones standing on end, forming a large circle around him. This was no recent construction, that much was obvious; the stones were worn as though having endured several millennia of exposure to the elements. Some of them had apparently toppled over ages ago, though a few still supported massive horizontal blocks between them. He'd seen something like this before, in a book he'd read once years ago, though its significance escaped him at the moment. He gazed into the distance dispiritedly; apart from this ancient structure, there was no sign of civilization in sight.  
  
Harry's thoughts quickly shifted to Luna. What was happening back in that house at this very moment? Was Luna now facing off against Lestrange on her own? And what had Luna said as he'd opened the door? Had she tried to warn him?  
  
He had to get back, somehow. He turned his wand flat on his palm, cast the four-point charm and took a reading. He oriented himself to face due North, deciding he may as well head that way until he reached a town or a road. He took off at a run, the thoughts of Luna being left to fend for herself darkening his spirit.  
  
His trek had lasted only a few steps when he was startled by a loud crack! just ahead of him. He skidded to a stop before the horrid figure which had materialized before him; a deathly white hand clutched a wand pointing at his head.  
  
No!! Harry screamed inwardly, terror threatening to overcome him as he scrambled backwards, raising his own wand at the horrible visage of Voldemort. This was no Boggart, he knew...  
  
The only thing that kept him from sheer panic was the knowledge that Voldemort couldn't use his wand against him, so long as Harry retained his. If he could just keep his wits about him -  
  
"Stop!!" Harry shouted at Voldemort, noting a quiver in his voice, "You know we can't duel! The wands - "  
  
"Oh, but I no longer need to try, foolish boy," Voldemort voiced malevolently, waving his other hand around him. Harry saw with surging apprehension a good twenty or so black robed figures emerge from behind the massive stone lintels, coming to form a circle around him. Twenty wands trained on him.  
  
"Protego," Harry muttered, pointing his wand at himself. He knew it was virtually useless; there was no way he could deflect all of these...  
  
"Yes, cast your pitiful defensive charms," Voldemort chided, "For all the good they will do you now. Now then - " He motioned to the Death Eaters.  
  
"Wait!!" Harry yelled, desperately seeking a way out and seeing none. No one even knew he was here -  
  
"Take his wand," Voldemort said.  
  
"Expell - "  
  
He'd managed to disarm one Death Eater when multiple Accio spells hit Harry simultaneously; his arm jerked violently in several directions as he tried valiantly to keep his grip, but the combination of so many spells was too much. He watched in horror as his wand jerked free of his fingers and sailed into the outstretched hand of one of the hooded figures.  
  
"Now," Voldemort said, advancing on Harry, his wand still leveled at his chest, "You will tell me where your little companion may be found. Why have you come in her stead?"  
  
Harry's eyes widened. He could feel his heart racing. This was all too well prepared, too elaborate; it was as though Voldemort had known of their plan all along...his apprehension mixed in with despair; not only had he failed Luna, he'd come perilously close to leading her here, into the Dark Lord's waiting hands.  
  
"W-what companion?" Harry stammered.  
  
"Don't spout falsehoods at me, accursed boy," Voldemort said ominously, "You are a truly pitiful Occlumens, as I would have expected. The Enchanter's wand will come into my possession wether you cooperate or not. Now tell me...where is she?"  
  
Harry thought furiously. He was getting a definite impression that his appearance here had not been part of Voldemort's plan; but why was he trying to lure Luna here when he already held her father as a hostage?  
  
Something didn't make sense...but he had to throw him off the track, somehow.  
  
"S-she stayed behind," Harry said, trying to keep his mind clear though the image of Luna filled his thoughts, "She didn't come to Hogsmea - "  
  
"Bah!" Voldemort said, extending his wand as though preparing to strike, "Your attempt at deception is both obvious and pathetic. But since you won't tell me willingly, there are other ways to - " He cut off abruptly.  
  
He was looking at Harry with a look of astonishment.  
  
"YOU!!" Voldemort bellowed, taking a step backwards. Harry saw the circle of Death Eaters shuffle back nervously. What was going on? He hadn't done anything...  
  
Then he saw a shadow looming on the snow next to him. He spun around -  
  
His spirits rose as though having been delivered from the abyss; there, standing just behind him, was Albus Dumbledore, serenely gazing at Lord Voldemort with his own wand in hand.  
  
"PROFESSOR!!" Harry cried. He couldn't recall ever being happier to see anyone in his life.  
  
Dumbledore walked forward, Harry hastily stepping out of the way. He could see the Death Eaters shifting very nervously as they backed off. They were on the verge of taking flight, Harry could tell.  
  
"OLD FOOL!" Voldemort screamed, leveling his wand at the Headmaster, "AVADA KEDAVRA!!"  
  
Harry had expected some sort of miraculous counter spell from Dumbledore. But to his astonishment and horror, the old Headmaster just stood there and muttered not a word, his gaze serene as though he'd been sitting at the breakfast table. The intense green bolt that flashed past Harry struck the Headmaster full force, Dumbledore exploding in a flash of thousands of tiny flame-colored lights, the force knocking Harry onto his backside.  
  
He stared at the tiny bits of flaming embers drifting to the ground in shock. He hadn't even tried to defend himself...he'd done nothing...nothing at all...  
  
And yet...the Killing Curse shouldn't cause such an explosion. Harry glanced at Voldemort, who was staring at the spot Dumbledore had stood with apparent consternation.  
  
"What was that?" The Dark Lord spat finally, turning his attention back to Harry. "That wasn't your noble protector, Potter! How did you manage to conjure up such an apparition without your wand! Explain quickly!"  
  
Harry was also at a loss to explain it...but if he could somehow bluff...  
  
"I...I have...it's a power I..."  
  
Voldemort pointed his wand at him. "ENOUGH LIES!!"  
  
Harry braced himself for what he knew would come. He closed his eyes tightly. Luna...  
  
"CRUCIO!"  
  
A searing pain shot through Harry, so intense he thought his head would explode any moment. He screamed out loud, quite unable to help himself, as he grasped his throbbing skull with both hands as though to hold it together. His vision clouded over with unbearable agony...  
  
And then, just as suddenly, it receded. His vision slowly returned. Harry raised his head, becoming acutely aware of a strange tingling sensation running through his still aching body. He could feel his hair standing up on end; the air around him crackled with energy. He remembered experiencing this once before...  
  
The Death Eaters around him were also being affected, from the looks of it; they were glancing about agitatedly, wands pointing in very direction; Voldemort was eyeing the sky overhead with uncertainty.  
  
A low, reverberating rumble began to build, growing in intensity with every second, until the very ground itself was shaking. The Death Eaters were fighting to keep their balance. Voldemort levitated himself a few inches off the ground, though he looked no less perturbed.  
  
"This cannot be," Voldemort said, "This isn't Potter's doing...this is ancient magic! There's an intrud - "  
  
A series of simultaneous, deafening cracks of thunder nearly burst Harry's eardrums as a multitude of blinding white tendrils of light burst forth from the sky to strike all around him. They struck with such force that he felt himself lift off the ground momentarily; had he been standing, he was certain he would have been knocked off his feet.  
  
The ground where the tendrils of crackling energy struck exploded violently, sending Death Eaters flying through the air screaming, the frozen earth erupting skyward, sending large chunks of dirt, rock and ice flying everywhere. Harry hastily threw his arms over his head protectively.  
  
Then, within seconds, it was over. Harry scrambled to his feet, his ears still ringing. Not a single Death Eater remained standing. Where each of them had stood, a large, blackened crater now lay, wisps of steam rising from the charred earth within. Some of the ancient stone lintels had toppled over, Harry saw. One lay atop an unmoving black-clad figure.  
  
He looked to where Voldemort had been seconds before; a steaming crater marked the spot, though he was nowhere to be seen. Harry hardly dared to hope...  
  
"Luna?"  
  
There was no answer. Harry decided he'd best retrieve his wand; but the Death Eaters had been scattered in every direction...where was it now?  
  
He'd just started searching around when he felt something lightly touch his shoulder.  
  
He spun around. Luna was standing there, eyes wide and face as pale as the Grey Lady's. Her expression made it apparent she was not at all well.  
  
"Luna!" Harry exclaimed, taking her by the shoulders, "How'd you get here? Did Lest - what's wrong? Luna?"  
  
Her gaze was strangely distant, even though she was staring right into his eyes. Harry noticed her mouth was slightly open, her breathing very shallow; the energy that always glowed in her large silver eyes was conspicuously absent now. She looked exhausted...no, it was worse than that, Harry saw...  
  
"Look..." she said weakly, her voice a bare whisper, waving a pale hand feebly around her, "What I did..."  
  
Harry swallowed hard. He felt an almost irresistible urge to pull her close and tell her it was all right; they were Death Eaters, after all; each of them were murderers many times over, and would have gone on killing had she not stopped them. But it would have to wait; Lestrange was still on the loose in Hogsmeade. They had to get back.  
  
At that moment he heard a loud crack! behind Luna. She spun around, long dirty blonde hair flying wildly and whipping Harry in the face. Voldemort had re-apparated.  
  
"INCURSO!" Yelled Voldemort.  
  
Harry leapt in front of Luna just as a dark violet light struck him full force. A blinding pain shot through his chest, sending him flaying backwards through the air and knocking Luna over. He rolled several times before coming to a stop face down in the snow. He could barely breathe; it was as though someone had hit him in the chest with a mace. He tried to push himself up, but his hands only managed to feebly pat the snow. He turned his head, just making out the vague form of Luna through his snow- encrusted glasses. She'd somehow managed to get to her knees, her wand still in her grasp.  
  
"EXPELLIARMUS!!" Cried Luna.  
  
Voldemort deflected the spell easily with a quick flick of his wand, the fiery beam of light harmlessly striking one of the nearby stone lintels.  
  
"ACCIO WAND!"  
  
Luna jerked forward violently, grasping her wand with both hands as she slid along the snow towards the Dark Lord.  
  
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"  
  
A silvery platypus erupted from Luna's wand and bolted straight for Voldemort. The Dark Lord took a step back and leveled his wand at the approaching figure.  
  
"EVANESCO!"  
  
The platypus disintegrated into a silvery mist, drifting away in the breeze. But it had given Luna time to counter the Accio charm; she'd slid to a halt, her wand drawing upwards.  
  
"IMPEDMENTA!"  
  
Voldemort was unable to raise his wand in time. The beam from Luna's wand struck him near the shoulder, and he staggered back. He nevertheless slowly drew his wand as though to strike; the spell wasn't having its full effect. Harry desperately tried to get up; all he got for his trouble was a mouthful of snow.  
  
"EXPELLIARMUS!!" Luna shouted.  
  
Voldemort went flying backwards, flipping end over end several times in the air. Just as he'd been about to hit the ground he suddenly vanished with a loud crack!  
  
Luna staggered to her feet. Only a moment had passed before Voldemort reappeared at her back, between her and Harry, wand in the strike position.  
  
Luna spun around, hair flying and wand leveled. "ELECTRO - "  
  
She'd barely had time to open her mouth before getting struck with the same spell that had hit Harry. She cried out as she blasted off her feet and spun like a top through the air, hair spinning wildly. Her blue and bronze Ravenclaw scarf spun loose and dropped silently to the ground.  
  
She crashed near one of the fallen Death Eaters, sprawled over the snow and unmoving.  
  
"ACCIO WAND!" Voldemort shouted.  
  
Harry saw Luna's arm jerk violently as she somehow managed to hold on. He tried once more to push himself up, his breathing slowly starting to return, air finally replenishing his oxygen starved lungs. He managed to roll himself onto his side.  
  
"Bah!" Voldemort said irritably, becoming piqued at Luna's determination not to surrender her wand. He muttered something that Harry didn't catch. A yellow beam of light enveloped Luna; as Voldemort raised his wand, Luna's form rose up in the air accordingly.  
  
The Dark Lord flicked his wand quickly to the right. Luna flew through the air with alarming speed, quite unable to stop, slamming with bone-crunching force against one of the upright stone monoliths. Her wand dropped at last from her lifeless hand as she fell limply to the ground.  
  
"NO!!!" Harry screamed.  
  
He inched forward in desperation, his strength returning with maddening lethargy.  
  
"Accio wand," said Voldemort, Luna's wand at last flying freely through the air. He reached up and caught it easily; Harry was still too far away -  
  
"AARGGHH!" Voldemort cried as he immediately dropped the wand, as though holding a poker just drawn from a fire. He glared at it lying in the snow at his feet.  
  
Harry was within an arm's length of him now; only one more push and -  
  
Voldemort spun around and flashed his wand. "Conquiesco!"  
  
Harry collapsed back on the snow. He felt as though a three hundred pound weight were sitting on his back; already greatly weakened by the blast he'd absorbed, he had no energy left to try and force his way free.  
  
The Dark Lord's gaze returned to Luna's wand. "Of course," he said strangely calmly, "As I'd suspected..."  
  
He levitated Luna's wand using a Leviosa charm, though being mindful not to touch it. He walked over to where Luna lay in the snow, pointing his own wand down at her.  
  
Dear God, no!! Harry thought desperately, his lungs gasping for air. Luna she was completely helpless now; she couldn't defend herself.  
  
"Enervate," the Dark Lord said to Harry's surprise.  
  
It took several long moments for Luna to come around; Harry could hear her pained, ragged breathing from where he was; she was alive, though something was terribly wrong. He saw her hand grope blindly for her wand...  
  
"I have your wand, foolish girl," Voldemort sneered, "Now get up!"  
  
Luna's pale hand fell limply to the snow.  
  
"Get up, I said!!" Voldemort ordered. Luna slowly stirred. She gradually drew herself into a sitting position and quickly doubled over, her arms clutching her sides, a grimace of pain overcoming her usually serene features. It looked to Harry as though she'd broken some ribs, he realized with anguish. He gave a mighty heave, his arms shaking with strain against the snow. His body rose not an inch from the frozen ground as he collapsed, exhausted once more.  
  
"Now then," said Voldemort, paying no heed to Luna's obvious agony, "As I'd suspected, the Enchanter's wand has been warded against Dark Wizards. You shall therefore bring it along - "  
  
"Go away," Luna said in a tiny, strained voice without looking up, slowly rocking back and forth and clutching her sides tightly.  
  
"What?!" Voldemort blurted angrily, obviously unused to being addressed in such a way.  
  
"I don't think...I like this game...anymore..." said Luna weakly in between ragged breaths, "I'm going home..."  
  
"I think not!" Voldemort seethed, flicking his wand and lifting her abruptly to her feet.  
  
Luna doubled over again painfully, her long disheveled hair drifting to the snow, obscuring her face. Harry could tell from her labored breathing that her injuries were serious. His apprehension slowly gave way to frustration and then anger...he had to help her...  
  
Voldemort walked over to him, and Harry instantly felt the invisible weight lift from his back. He scrambled to his feet and was about to lunge furiously at the Dark Lord when he felt his feet float up off the ground.  
  
A sinewy green flame emerged from Voldemort's wand and circled around Harry several times like a thick binding rope. It's tip however was shaped like a snake's head, two red embers serving as eyes. The head stood off to one side while its tail finished wrapping itself around Harry's midsection. Strain as he might, he found he couldn't move his arms in the slightest. His legs were free and he could flail away with them, but Voldemort was keeping a safe distance.  
  
Voldemort then turned back to Luna and flicked his wand. Luna's hovering wand suddenly dropped from the air to land at her side.  
  
"Pick it up," Voldemort commanded, "But be aware that should you attempt anything, Potter will die. One strike from the Binding Serpent will more than suffice."  
  
Luna slowly raised her head from her doubled over stance. Harry saw her eyes widen as she caught sight of him. "Harry?" She gasped breathlessly.  
  
"Pick it up!" Voldemort commanded.  
  
Harry was in possibly the worst predicament of his life. He knew they were both as good as dead. Luna had the only chance at escape, though if she tried it she would almost certainly not get far. Worse, she was in no condition to try and duel Voldemort, regardless of the consequences to himself.  
  
"CRUCIO!!"  
  
Luna shrieked and dropped to her knees, doubling over so far that her forehead touched the snow. Harry gave a scream of rage, straining with all his might against the shimmering green serpent that held him, to no avail. Voldemort casually turned to him and flicked his wand.  
  
"Silencio."  
  
With the casting of that spell Luna gave a gasp, the Cruciatus Curse having lifted. One trembling hand was planted on the ground, the other clutching her ribs.  
  
"Now pick it up!!" Voldemort commanded, his wand still trained on Harry, "Or Potter dies now!"  
  
A pale, shaking hand slowly reached over and grasped the ancient wand. It was painful for Harry to watch Luna struggling just to get to her feet.  
  
Harry's heart bled as she looked at him with eyes full of pain and anguish. Harry tried to call out to her, though all he managed was to steam up the cold air with his breath.  
  
Voldemort extended his wand skyward, chanting something in a language Harry was unfamiliar with; beams of blood red light shot out from its tip to the surrounding stone monoliths, forming a pattern akin to that of a spider's web; the symbolism not lost on Harry. He truly did feel trapped like a bug in an Acromantula's nest. The monoliths began to glow a reddish hue, though they gave off no heat.  
  
There was a loud crack! as everything went dark for a moment. When light returned, Harry found himself in a completely different location. He was still, he noticed dismally, bound by the green serpent, and both Voldemort and Luna were still with him; the strange chant must have been some sort of mass apparition spell, he realized. They were in a clearing in the midst of what appeared to be a bog; the smell and sounds were enough to convince Harry he'd been here before, having accidentally stumbled upon the place the night he'd been snooping through the Slytherin Common Room.  
  
Though it was daytime, the place looked no less foreboding than at night. The drooping mosses, dank fog and twisted, gnarled branches gave the place an air of distinct malevolence.  
  
"Bring him," Voldemort commanded. Harry felt himself drift, hanging several feet above the ground. The snake was apparently capable of obeying Voldemort's commands as well as keeping him tightly bound.  
  
They were heading down the twisted path leading, Harry recalled, to the mysterious shrouded archway. He twisted his head to look back at Luna following behind; she looked ready to drop, though she was somehow managing to keep up with them. Harry could tell every step was a painful exercise.  
  
Their eyes met. Harry tried to voice 'Attack' with his mouth while nodding towards Voldemort. In this place, even a Muggle would be a threat to the Dark Lord. Only Luna had a working wand. If she could strike quickly -  
  
Luna shook her head. Harry groaned in frustration. Luna had a chance at escape, regardless of what happened to him. He knew he'd be killed anyway; he wished stridently that Luna could see that...  
  
He had but one hope left. If the Heliopaths were still there, they just might have a chance...  
  
The march was tedious. Harry was continuously craning his neck back to keep an eye on Luna, who was still keeping up, though her face was devoid of color, and her breathing was becoming increasingly labored. Harry wished with every fibre of his being just to get his hands around Voldemort's neck for just a few seconds -  
  
After what seemed like at least a half hour Harry noticed the sounds of birds and other denizens of the bog had gradually died down and had finally grown conspicuously silent. His breathing quickened; if he remembered correctly, there should be a Heliopath guarding the trail not far ahead.  
  
His heart sank as he glimpsed the clearing up ahead. Not only was the Heliopath gone, there was no sign of any of the others that had stood guard around the inner circle that night.  
  
He glanced back one more time at Luna as they approached the circle of green flames. She stared ahead of her as though in a trance...  
  
"Now then," said Voldemort, addressing Luna, "You will dispel this ward." He pointed at the wall of flames, "Any attempt to use your wand for anything else will result in Potter's immediate death, do you understand me, girl?"  
  
Harry tried to scream out, though his voice was still muted. Attack him!! I'm dead anyway!! Get away! He mouthed.  
  
But Luna wasn't looking at either of them. She was standing just at an arm's length of the glowing green flames, as though transfixed by them...  
  
As the glowing serpent was carrying Harry several feet higher than he normally stood, Harry could see the top half of the mysterious Veil beyond the flames...Luna was staring right at it, as though seeing it through the wall of fire.  
  
"Answer girl!" Voldemort ordered after several moments of silence.  
  
But Luna did not answer. Instead she continued to gaze at the flames before her, when suddenly, she took a halting step forward, her wand held loosely at her side.  
  
LUNA NO!!! Harry screamed in his mind...did she intend to just walk right into the flames??? NO! NO! NO! PLEASE DON'T!!  
  
"STOP!" Voldemort bellowed.  
  
Luna stopped inches from the flames, though Harry couldn't tell if it was due to Voldemort's demand or something else. She was staring at the archway with an unfathomable expression, her gaze very distant, mouth open slightly...she raised her wandless hand hesitantly, as though longing to reach something...  
  
"DISPEL IT!!! NOW!!" Voldemort screeched.  
  
Harry saw Luna slowly mouth something; her head slowly gave just a wisp of a nod...  
  
She took a step back and raised her wand -  
  
And tossed it through the flames. Harry watched it sail through the archway; it did not reappear on the far side. He swallowed hard.  
  
The wand was gone.  
  
"YOU FOOL!!!" Voldemort shrieked, "YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING!!!"  
  
Luna just stood still, staring into the flames and paying no heed.  
  
Voldemort whirled on Harry. "SERPENT! I COMMAND YOU - "  
  
A crackling bolt of misty silver light shot out from the ancient archway, striking the glowing serpent's head in a flash. Harry felt his arms suddenly loosen as he fell painfully to the ground, the snake above him dissipating in a green and silver mist...  
  
Voldemort took a step backwards. "This...is not possible."  
  
Harry pushed himself up, shaking with fury. Though Voldemort's want was pointing at him, Harry had no fear of it. They were as helpless as Muggles here.  
  
He launched himself at the Dark Lord, tackling him hard. They both fell heavily to the ground, Voldemort's wand flying loose. Harry received a painful kick to the face, knocking his glasses askew and momentarily stunning him. Voldemort used the brief respite to push himself away, but Harry reacted in time and gripped his robes -  
  
"AAAGGHHH!" Harry screamed, a burning pain shooting through his left hand where a dark-bladed dagger had embedded itself; he lost his grip on the Dark Lord's robes as he struggled with his uninjured hand to pull it out.  
  
Voldemort shuffled back quickly and had and scrambled to his feet when Harry, with excruciating pain, pulled the wand from his injured hand. Voldemort reached into his robes. Harry gripped the handle of the dagger and threw hard -  
  
- just as the figure before him vanished. The dagger sailed through empty space and fell to the cobblestoned ground with a clang somewhere beyond the flames.  
  
Harry gripped his badly bleeding hand. He took his scarf and wrapped it around it as a makeshift bandage. He looked up and saw Luna on her knees and looking to be very much at the end of her tether, still gazing into the flames. He ran over to her, throwing himself to the ground.  
  
"Luna!" He said worriedly, "Are you - how bad are you hurt?"  
  
She slowly turned her gaze on him. For several moments it seemed as though she didn't recognize him. He gently took hold of her hand.  
  
"Luna?"  
  
She blinked. "Harry..." Her voice was very faint.  
  
"Luna, we have to get back, get you to Madam Pomfrey - " His voice trailed off as he suddenly realized they had no way of getting out of here...there was no portal book with which to escape this time...  
  
"Harry...it's okay..." Luna said in between weak, painful breaths. Her eyes drifted down to Harry's blood-soaked bandaged hand. "You're hurt..."  
  
"It's nothing," Harry said. "Come on - "  
  
He helped Luna get to her feet, trying to draw one of her arms over his shoulders but quickly backing off when he saw her wince in terrible pain.  
  
"I can stand..."  
  
She stood, though Harry wondered how long she could manage...and walking any distance was out of the question.  
  
"Oh...look..." Luna said feebly, pointing past his shoulder. Harry turned.  
  
There, emerging from the trail at the opposite side of the clearing, was a large group of horrific, gray-clad figures, their shredded robes and rattling breaths giving away their natures even at this distance.  
  
"Dementors..." He whispered in horror. 


	28. Luna's Year, Part XXVIII

A bone-chilling dread washed over Harry. The Dementors were shuffling nearer, seeming to virtually glide over the ground, their tattered gray cloaks billowing ominously behind them as they approached.  
  
Luna sighed softly and tugged on his sleeve. Harry could see plainly she wasn't going to be able to outrun them, yet making any attempt to stand their ground wasn't an option. Neither one of them had a wand now, and unless one of them could spontaneously summon a Patronus without one...  
  
Harry caught a glint of something on the cobblestones where he'd just tackled Voldemort...a wand!  
  
He ran over to it and snatched it up, suddenly realizing with mortification it held no power here; he might as well be brandishing a twig at the approaching horrors.  
  
Luna had joined him and grasped his arm tightly, wether in urgency or to keep from falling he couldn't tell.  
  
"Harry," she said softly, "I suppose this would be a good time to leave - "  
  
But Harry knew it was useless to run. Luna could barely stand as it was; and while he could easily carry her, there was no way he could do so and outrun a group of Dementors. And even if he could, where could they go? The portal that lay a half hour's walk from here only worked one way. They were trapped.  
  
Harry shivered at the thought of dying at the hands of those horrid wilting creatures. It was said the Dementors' Kiss would extinguish one's soul - he would never allow that.  
  
He looked to the wall of green flames silently fluttering a few feet away; it provided the only escape...though the consequences were utterly unknown. He took a deep breath and made an agonizing decision.  
  
"We can't let them get us, Luna - "  
  
He felt Luna squeeze his arm gently. "They won't," she said reassuringly. "I brought that old sock with me."  
  
Harry whirled on her, his eyes wide as saucers. "Luna!!"  
  
"Well," she said, opening the drawstring of her small bag and turning it upside down, the tattered old sock flopping to the ground, "you'd best get your glasses before they do - "  
  
Harry felt hope surge through him at the sight of the Portkey. He hadn't even realized his glasses had been knocked off during the scuffle with Voldemort. He looked around his feet, very conscious of the Dementors' approach -  
  
He saw a glimmer on the ground and bent down to pick it up, stopping just short when he saw it was a softly glowing glass sphere slightly smaller than his fist. Voldemort must have dropped this, he realized. He decided to bring it along, concluding it had to be artifact of some importance to be carried on the person of the Dark Lord.  
  
He went to pick it up, hesitating at the last moment. Could it be another portkey? Where would it lead if it was? Did he dare?  
  
"Harry? There isn't much time - " Luna voiced behind him.  
  
"There's something here," he replied, seeing the Dementors spreading out on either side of the circle of flames, clearly intent on cutting off their retreat. "I'm not exactly sure what it might be - "  
  
Luna joined him, one hand still clutching her ribs as she gazed down at the glowing crystal sphere.  
  
"Could it be another Prophecy?" asked Harry.  
  
She continued to stare at it curiously. "It rather looks like one, doesn't it?" she said softly. "I imagine you'll want to touch..." she gripped his arm in anticipation.  
  
Harry glanced up. The Dementors were almost on top of them. He snatched up his glasses, then, with baited breath, gingerly put a finger on the tiny glass sphere.  
  
Nothing.  
  
Great, he thought, snatching up the glass orb and pocketing it inside his robe. They rushed over to where the sock still lay on the ground, a Dementor only two steps away from it -  
  
Luna's legs gave out as she collapsed a few feet from the crumpled sock, one arm extended in desperation, dragging Harry along as she fell -  
  
Harry didn't feel himself hitting the ground for several seconds, instead sensing the familiar abrupt pull of an active portkey, a swirl of colors and wind rushing by him, followed by a momentary dizziness -  
  
He hit a very solid floor with great force, as though he'd fallen from a considerable height. Harry lost his grip on Voldemort's wand on impact, hearing it clatter away in the darkness -  
  
He heard Luna gasp in pain next to him. It was pitch black; he couldn't see a thing. "Luna!"  
  
"I'm...here..." she answered weakly.  
  
Harry became aware of what sounded like the sounds of battle raging on somewhere above them. He quickly groped around in the dark on his hands and knees, searching for the wand. His hand closed on something.  
  
"...foot..." whispered Luna.  
  
"Sorry," said Harry, continuing his search. He heard the muffled sounds of people running down a staircase in the distance. He had to hurry.  
  
"Ow!" he cried as he cracked his head on a heavy table leg.  
  
"Harry?" Luna called out from the darkness.  
  
"I'm okay," he answered, his head throbbing painfully. His hand brushed up against something loose on the floor, sending it rolling along -  
  
Dang it, he thought, shuffling in the direction he thought he might have propelled it. He crawled quickly until finally his fingers wrapped themselves around a long wooden shaft.  
  
"Lumos!"  
  
The wand flickered slowly to life, though bathing the room in a strange oscillating glow varying between hues of orange and green. Luna was sitting up against the wall a few feet from him, her eyes closed. She was breathing with difficulty through her open mouth, one arm held tightly across her midsection. He had to get her out of here -  
  
Harry glanced around. They appeared to be in a large study, possibly the same room from which they'd left, though he'd seen it so briefly previously there was no way to be sure.  
  
"Luna, are you - "  
  
Suddenly the door burst open, its hinges creaking precariously. Into the room ran the bedraggled figures of Bellatrix Lestrange followed by two Death Eaters.  
  
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Harry and Lestrange both shouted at once.  
  
Harry's wand shot out a gust of dank wind which only served to blow his adversary's hair back, a split second before he was hit by her spell, being propelled violently backward into a large, heavy desk, Voldemort's wand flying loose - "Secure the door!" barked Lestrange.  
  
Harry got to his feet, the small of his back aching painfully. He lunged -  
  
Thin, snakelike ropes shot forth from Lestrange's wand and wrapped themselves tightly around him in mid-stride. He quickly lost his balance and crashed hard to the floor, hitting his head painfully.  
  
"Well, what have we here?" said Bellatrix malevolently once the door had been locked and warded. "You've returned, have you? How strange that the Dark Lord would permit such - "  
  
"Bellatrix!" one of the Death Eaters called from the door as Harry rolled himself on his side. "They're coming down, we can't stay here - "  
  
"Let them come," said Lestrange casually. "I think they'll find a few surprises when they get here."  
  
She picked up Voldemort's wand from under the desk where it had rolled, before turning to gaze darkly at Luna.  
  
Harry watched as the two black-clad figures cast one charm after another on the heavy oak door in a desperate attempt to bar entry to whoever was approaching. His eyes grew wide as Lestrange approached Luna; the young Ravenclaw was very pale and was having increased difficulty breathing.  
  
Bellatrix crouched down next to her, using her wand to brush back Luna's hair. "I see you no longer have your wand," said Lestrange. "I take it Master's plan was not in vain, then, though how you managed to elude him is curious - "  
  
She turned to gaze to Harry, her eyes narrowing at his horrified expression. She turned her gaze to Luna, then back to Harry once more.  
  
"Ooohh, you weally weally wuve this one, don't you, widdle baby Potter?" she said in her harsh mockery of an infant's voice. Luna's eyes popped open, staring intently at Harry.  
  
"LEAVE HER ALONE!!" he screamed.  
  
"Oh, I won't lay so much as a finger on her, widdle baby Potter," mocked Lestrange. She drew up, the tip of her wand drifting downward.  
  
A yellow glow enveloped Luna as she flew up from the floor and crashed heavily against the far wall, knocking loose several portraits which clattered to the ground around her. "NO!!!"  
  
Luna slowly stirred, painfully pushing herself up on hands and knees, one hand clutching her side. Her face was obscured by her long trailing sand- colored hair, though Harry glimpsed with horror the sight of blood streaming freely from her mouth, puddling on the floor. Her breathing was now very labored and halting -  
  
Bellatrix leveled her wand. "Crucio!"  
  
Luna's body stiffened abruptly as he pressed her forehead down against the floor, Harry seeing a pale, blood-stained hand clawing at the floor in silent agony.  
  
"STOP IT!!!" he screamed, horror, helplessness and rage all fighting for supremacy within him.  
  
"As you wish," said Bellatrix, flinging her wand once more as Luna's form flew up and crashed violently into a large curio near the door, shattering its front windows and porcelain contents with sickening force. Her limp form fell to the floor, trailing shards of glass and pottery all round her, blood splattered upon the cabinetry and adjacent wall. This time she did not stir.  
  
"Mmmm, no," mused Bellatrix, glancing wickedly at Harry. "I do think she'd look much better over there, don't you?"  
  
To Harry's unimaginable horror she flicked her wand yet again, as Luna shot up and crashed into a huge bookshelf on the wall behind him with such force that the massive book-filled cabinet tottered ominously, Lestrange's crazed eyes widening with anticipation -  
  
- and then disappointment as it settled back in place. She aimed her wand at it, Harry's eyes swimming in tears, barely able to make anything out through the haze - he had to do something -  
  
"VOLDEMORT'S DEAD!!" he screamed.  
  
Lestrange hesitated. She slowly turned her head in his direction, and for a moment Harry thought he saw a glint of anxiety in her eyes. It lasted for but an instant however, as her face slowly contorted itself in a sinister grin.  
  
"Nice try," she said, before turning her gaze back to the bookshelves.  
  
"Where was I? Oh, yes, these should have fallen over, shouldn't they, widdle baby Potter?" said Lestrange, flicking her wand.  
  
The huge bookshelf creaked and slowly tipped towards Luna's fallen, unmoving form. "NOOOOO!!!"  
  
The large chandelier overhead suddenly broke from its moorings. Lestrange dove away in desperation and managed to avoid getting stuck by the barest of margins as it crashed noisily to the floor, bits of crystal and ironwork scattering around the room.  
  
At the same instant the door exploded inwards in a shower of wood and splinters as a huge brown form pushed through its remains and rushed into the room, roaring furiously.  
  
"HAGRID!!"  
  
The two Death Eaters nearest to the door had stumbled back from the flying debris; the moment the one on the right had lowered his arm to look at his foe he was met by a massive fist. He was hit with such force that he made a complete revolution through the air and came to land on the floor, unmoving.  
  
The second Death Eater was quickly struck down by a flash of light emanating from behind the gamekeeper. Harry saw though tear-stained glasses, a tall blonde woman emerge into the room, wand drawn.  
  
"TRAITOROUS WENCH!!" screamed Bellatrix, jumping to her feet. She shot a last jinx at the bookcase and reached into her robes, vanishing into thin air just as two massive hands swung through the spot where she'd been standing an instant before.  
  
Harry saw the bookcase tipping over. He desperately rolled next to Luna -  
  
And felt a crushing, impossibly suffocating force slam into him, an intense, excruciating pain shooting through his body before the darkness overtook him...  
  
* * *  
  
There wasn't a hint of wind as Harry slowly knelt next to the gravestone, the grey, misty morning air dampening his hair. His glasses were heavily speckled with water droplets and his bones rattled with the cold, but he took no notice. Compared to his spirits, the weather was decidedly cheerful.  
  
He looked about him. There were no birds to be seen, no squirrels, no one...lifeless...  
  
Appropriate enough, he thought, as it was rather how he felt lately. Every moment, really, since that terrible, fateful day...  
  
He still could hardly believe it, even after all this time. She was gone.  
  
It had hadn't seemed possible at first, yet the passage of time had made it seem even less so. She'd always been so full of life...  
  
And yet he knew it to be true. The void he'd felt in his heart upon losing Sirius had abruptly grown into a dark, gaping chasm that would never be filled, of this he was quite sure -  
  
Hermione had been right, he now realized despairingly. She'd told him plainly that day in the library, about his feelings for Luna. Yet he'd deluded himself into thinking she was grasping at intangibles.  
  
How wrong he'd been. He knew that now.  
  
But much too late...  
  
It had taken Luna's death for Harry to truly realize his feelings. He'd been so blind, so stupid, waited so long...  
  
In his heart he'd known this for some time; yet his brain had somehow fooled him into thinking otherwise...  
  
Hermione had tried to bring some solace by telling him it hadn't been as easy for him to recognize as it had been with Cho, as it had been much more than a simple attraction; it had become much more profound than that with Luna, he realized painfully.  
  
But it was all for naught now. All he had left were memories, which he clutched at desperately in his every waking moments. He closed his eyes and thought back to the day he'd encountered Luna in the hall, when he'd suddenly seen her in a different light for the first time. How she'd stood there, smiling and full of confidence, telling him that everything would somehow be made right -  
  
They always come back in the end, she had told him...  
  
He so wished to believe that now; he'd tried desperately to will it to happen...but willpower alone could not alter the passage of time.  
  
He feebly lay a single rose upon the snow-dusted stone slab. The tears came trailing as they had each day before. No one had even tried to tell him it was high time to move on.  
  
They knew.  
  
For him, there would be no moving on from this...  
  
It had been an unbearable loss. Worse, Harry felt with more than a twinge of rage, it had been a sacrilege. To rob the world of someone so unique, so wonderful was beyond comprehension. He asked himself the same wrenching question he'd screamed in his mind every day. WHY?  
  
"Why what?" a vague voice sounded nearby. He drew up and wiped his eyes before looking at the figure which had noiselessly come to sit next to him.  
  
Every muscle in his body suddenly tensed at the sight which greeted his reddened eyes. He gaped open-mouthed at the pale, transluscent apparition of Luna, sitting cross-legged to his left, gazing back at him dreamily. She had a small, though very solid looking wooden bowl cradled in her lap, a spoon held daintily in one hand. He stared wide-eyed as she serenely helped herself to a spoonful of what seemed very much like pudding.  
  
"L-Luna??" he asked breathlessly.  
  
"Hello Harry," she said vaguely, holding out her full spoon in front of him. "Would you like some pudding? It's really rather good."  
  
Harry was transfixed, stunned beyond words. His heart and stomach were doing every possible contortion within him. He reached out with one hand but then hesitated...would she dissipate if he touched her?  
  
"I...Luna...you...y-you're a...a ghost??"  
  
She nodded serenely. "It's much easier getting around Hogwarts this way, actually," she said dreamily. "It's no wonder the Grey Lady hears so much gossip, really. Anyway, are you sure you won't try some?"  
  
She held out another spoonful of pudding.  
  
Harry blinked. "How can...but...I...this...you're...eating??"  
  
She nodded sagely before taking in another spoonful. She gazed down at the gravestone.  
  
"Who is that?" she asked curiously.  
  
Harry turned to look at her grave marker. "I...well that's...I mean...don't you know??"  
  
She turned back to him. "Well, it's your dream," she said. "I only just got here, you know. You were rather hard to find, actually."  
  
"W-what??" asked Harry incredulously.  
  
Luna looked thoughtful for a moment as she gazed at him. "You never have very happy dreams, do you?" she said.  
  
"I..." Harry was stupefied.  
  
Luna put her pudding aside and drew close, gazing at him with her large, ghostly silver eyes. "It won't always be like this, you know," she said softly.  
  
Harry had a million words in his throat trying to get out at once, and so none emerged.  
  
Luna turned to gaze at the gravestone again, staring at the rose lying atop the snow-covered slab. "You're dreaming you just lost someone, aren't you? Someone close..."  
  
"It's...that's..." Harry cut himself off. It wasn't a dream, much as he desperately wished it was.  
  
Is it?  
  
Luna looked at him. "Well, we may as well be getting back," she said dreamily. "They'll be getting worried by now, I imagine."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
She smiled at him. And disappeared.  
  
"GGAAAAHHH!!!" screamed Harry, trashing about violently.  
  
"EEYYYAAAHHHH!!!" screamed Ron even more loudly, having been abruptly jarred from his slumber in the chair next to him.  
  
Harry sat up in a strange bed. He wasn't in the Gryffindor dormitory or the Hospital Wing, that much was certain. This room was quite small, cube- shaped with pale green walls, dimly lit by a softly glowing lamp on his bedside.  
  
"Harry!" exclaimed Ron breathlessly, pushing himself back up into his chair. "You're awake!"  
  
Harry drew himself into a more upright position. He had to get his bearings, he was completely lost.  
  
"What...where am I?"  
  
"St. Mungo's, mate," said Ron, dragging the chair nearer. "You've been here for two days now. How're you feeling?"  
  
Harry reached over and took his glasses from the cluttered night table, knocking over a box of chocolate frogs in the process. The small windowless room was unadorned save for his bed, the night stand, a small cabinet and a large portrait of Mungo Bonham adorning the wall facing the foot of his bed. Several chairs were scattered around the room, though Ron's was currently the only one occupied.  
  
"Luna..." said Harry cautiously, almost dreading to hear the answer, "is she..."  
  
Ron hesitated. Harry's stomach convulsed.  
  
"She's in the next room," said Ron softly. "They didn't think she was going to make it for a while there; she was in a really bad way, blimey she was. But she's doing loads better now."  
  
Harry let himself drop back upon his pillows, an overwhelming feeling of euphoria sweeping over him as he pushed his glasses up on his forehead and wiped his eyes. He noticed a heavy bandage wrapped around his left hand where he'd been struck by Voldemort's dagger. It still felt quite sore, though it could hardly dampen his spirits now.  
  
"I can't believe this - " he said hoarsely.  
  
"Hey, you all right?" asked Ron with concern.  
  
"Oh...am I ever," answered Harry, flopping his arms back to his sides and grinning up at the ceiling, the exhilaration of life returning to him. The dream had seemed so real...but it had been a dream, after all...  
  
"Well thank Merlin for that," said Ron. "We've all been worried sick. Hagrid said you rolled yourself under a big bookshelf that knocked you out; he said that's probably what saved Luna's life, 'cause otherwise the whole weight would've come down on her."  
  
Harry pushed himself back up again. "Is she awake?"  
  
"Not so far," answered Ron. "You've both been under since day before yesterday. But the Healers said she's out of danger now, at least."  
  
Harry nodded solemnly. He made to get up -  
  
"Hey, whoa there, mate," said Ron quickly. "They said you're not supposed to leave until they've checked you out."  
  
Harry's feet were dangling over the side of the bed; he desperately wanted to go see Luna. She'd been in his dream and seemed to be aware of it...or had that just been part of his imaginings also?  
  
"Well, can you go get a Healer then?" asked Harry. "I'd really like to go see her."  
  
"Uh...well, yeah sure, hang on."  
  
Ron got up and exited the room quietly. Harry searched through all the treats on his bedside table and dug out his watch, which revealed it to be just past three in the morning. He propped up the pillows against the on his bed and sat back against them.  
  
He held up his left hand and examined it a bit more carefully. He tried squeezing it, but quickly abandoned the attempt at the sudden jolt of pain which ran through his arm all the way to his shoulder. He felt fine otherwise, though; clearly the Healers had done an admirable job of repairing whatever damage the massive bookshelf had inflicted.  
  
Still, it was strange that a simple stab wound had gone untreated save for a simple bandage. Maybe they just decided to leave it for when he was awake, he mused.  
  
In any event, a sore hand was a small price to pay to discover that all was suddenly right in his world. He pinched himself, just in case he was going through yet another dream.  
  
"Ow," he said, grinning.  
  
Moments later Hermione came rushing into the room, followed by Ron, Professor Dumbledore and an aged and stooped old Healer he didn't recognize. Though it was very early in the morning, the Headmaster was clad in a resplendent sky blue robe and pointed hat, as though it were midday.  
  
Hermione jumped on the bed and gave Harry a huge hug; had he not been sitting up against the headstand he would surely have fallen flat on his back.  
  
"I've been so worried!" she cried.  
  
"Hey, I'm okay," said Harry reassuringly as the old Healer began looking him over, which made him feel a bit awkward, being as he was still clutched in mid-hug.  
  
"Uh, well, except for my hand, here," he added. Hermione drew back, her eyes red with tears and exhaustion. It looked to Harry as though she hadn't slept since they'd arrived. She gazed down at his bandaged hand.  
  
"Well...yes, we noticed that, Harry," she said sadly. She looked back at him. "The healers said it looked to be the kind of wound inflicted by a Dark Blade."  
  
"Didn' just look like it," said the old Healer, taking Harry's glasses off and pointing a brightly lit wand in his eyes. "There's no doubt at all, in my reckonin'."  
  
Harry squinted at the bright light shining in his eyes. "It was Voldemort's dagger," he said. "Why won't it heal?"  
  
"Stop squintin'!" the old Healer told him.  
  
"Hey, it's not easy with you holding that light so close - " countered Harry.  
  
Hermione's eyes had widened precipitously. "You...you saw him?"  
  
Dumbledore, who had been standing serenely at the foot of the bed while the Healer was making his examination, looked at Harry intently.  
  
"Yeah, we both did," Harry said.  
  
Dumbledore came and sat in the chair next to him. "Harry," he said softly, "please describe what took place."  
  
Harry looked at him, and for a moment his old anger threatened to resurface. He was being asked to provide information to someone who had hid so much from him, after all. But the sight of the old Headmaster's concerned gaze made him quickly push aside his misgivings, before proceeding to recount everything that had happened since he and Luna had left the Three Broomsticks.  
  
"Blimey," said Ron in awe several minutes later, after the Healer had left. "That's...bloody hell..."  
  
Hermione was sitting on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands.  
  
Dumbledore looked very grave. "This is consistent with what we'd theorized, Harry," he said somberly.  
  
Harry looked at him. "What do you mean?"  
  
The old Headmaster sighed. "It would appear that Mr. Malfoy attempted to regain his standing with the Dark Lord by revealing our plans to capture Bellatrix Lestrange," he said heavily. "I'm afraid he does not understand that there is no going back once Lord Voldemort cast him out. It would seem that he and I need to have a little chat."  
  
"Lestrange!" exclaimed Harry, as their plan suddenly came back to him. "Did we - "  
  
"I'm afraid not, Harry," said Dumbledore sadly. "While we captured most of the Death Eaters involved, she was able to make her escape by using a Portkey. She is, alas, still at large."  
  
Harry felt a dark cloud descend upon him. With Lestrange beyond their reach - "What...what's going to happen to Luna's father?" he asked, though he dreaded the answer.  
  
Dumbledore looked at him very seriously for several moments. "I'm afraid we may never know, Harry."  
  
Harry gaped at him, incredulous.  
  
"THAT'S IT??" he yelled, outraged at the Headmaster's passive acceptance of the fact. "YOU"RE NOT EVEN GOING TO TRY??"  
  
"Harry," said Hermione tearfully, taking hold of his arm, "there's really nothing anyone can do now...I'm so sorry..."  
  
Harry was about to turn his anger on her when the sight of her tearful eyes drove all dark anger from his mind.  
  
Hermione was never one to give up, he realized, if there was even a sliver of a chance...  
  
They were all silent. Hermione was staring at her feet dangling over the side of the bed, looking thoroughly dejected; Ron looked little better.  
  
Dumbledore stood. "Well, if you will permit me, Harry, I must go convey this information to Miss Lovegood."  
  
Harry looked up at him. "She...she's awake?"  
  
"Oh yes," said Dumbledore. "She woke just minutes ago, as we were coming up, in fact. The Healers were examining her for any lingering effects, though I expect she will need to remain here a little while longer."  
  
Harry threw off his blankets and sat over the edge of the bed. "Professor," he said, "I'd...like to be the one to tell her..."  
  
Dumbledore paused for a moment near the door. "If you are quite certain, Harry?"  
  
"Yes," said Harry resolutely as he slipped out of bed, his bare feet touching the cold floor.  
  
"Harry," whispered Hermione as she caught Ron's arm, as he had stood and was getting ready to follow Harry out. "I...expect you'd rather be alone for this..."  
  
He looked at her. She was staring at him with reddened eyes, her cheeks stained with dried tears. He nodded slowly. "Thanks, Hermione."  
  
It was a bit chilly with only his hospital gown, so Harry grabbed his cloak off the peg next to the door. As he drew it on, he felt an unexpected weight in his inside pocket. Suddenly remembering the small glass sphere, he pulled it out and handed it to Dumbledore.  
  
"Voldemort dropped this," he said tiredly. "When we were fighting. I thought it might be a portkey or something, but..."  
  
Dumbledore held it up to his nose, inspecting it at length. "Interesting...indeed, most interesting. Dropped by Lord Voldemort, you say..."  
  
Harry was about to ask if it might be another Prophecy, but he didn't have the stomach to hear any more. He decided to leave it with the Headmaster and proceeded out.  
  
He walked the short distance to the next room to find Luna sitting up, Ginny and Neville sitting in chairs around her bed and keeping her company. The sight of her alive and apparently well both exhilarated and disheartened him. He absolutely hated to bring her news that Lestrange had escaped, yet to let the responsibility fall on someone else do it while he lay comfortably in the other room was unconscionable.  
  
"Harry!" exclaimed Neville. Ginny snapped her head around at him. "Hey! It's sleepy head!"  
  
"Hello Harry," said Luna, smiling dreamily.  
  
"Er, hi," said Harry, giving a rather forced smile. "Um...listen...could I, er, have a minute alone..."  
  
Ginny seemed to understand quickly, seeing his forlorn expression. "Sure, Harry," she said softly, taking a confused and stammering Neville by the arm and pulling him outside and closing the door behind her.  
  
Luna gazed at him. "Harry, are you unwell? You seem rather sad."  
  
"Oh, I'm all right," he said. He hesitated a moment, not knowing wether to take a seat or to remain standing. Luna seemed to sense his indecision and make it easy for him.  
  
"Here," she said, drawing up straighter in bed and moving her legs to make room for him.  
  
He hesitated again. There were so many things going through his mind at the moment, he was finding it difficult knowing where to begin.  
  
Luna gently patted the bed sheets.  
  
"I think we need to talk, Harry," she said solemnly.  
  
He was startled by her tone, which wasn't at all dreamy. Rather, her voice and demeanor were very serious as Harry gingerly sat down on the bed, having decided to let her have the first word.  
  
To his surprise, she just stared at him in silence.  
  
"Er..." said Harry. He'd thought she wanted to discuss something, so her ensuing silence now greatly confused him.  
  
She continued to stare, her large silver eyes fixed on his, unblinking and serious.  
  
Well, they couldn't just sit in silence forever, he realized, so he decided a little prodding might help things along.  
  
"What did you say we need to talk about?" he asked gently.  
  
"I think you know," she answered quietly, her gaze boring into him.  
  
Harry swallowed hard. She sounded almost accusatory. He opened his mouth and tried to form words.  
  
"Er...well...I uh, Dumbledore told me...he..."  
  
Luna sighed. "Well," she said finally, "It's what that Lestrange lady said, Harry..."  
  
Harry blinked. Lestrange?? He thought back...  
  
She hadn't said anything of note, so far as Harry could remember. Certainly nothing that could help the Order, at any rate. And Luna...  
  
Oh, wait, he thought. Luna had opened her eyes just after Lestrange had spoken...  
  
'Ooohh, you weally weally wuve this one, don't you, widdle baby Potter?' she'd said.  
  
Harry looked at Luna, her large, unblinking silver eyes staring at him with decided sombreness.  
  
"I...remember," he said cautiously.  
  
"Was it true?" she asked, her voice strangely doleful.  
  
It was true, Harry now realized full well. But Luna's reaction was not at all what he'd expected; all the dreaminess and detachment that was so prevalent in the young Ravenclaw had been suddenly stripped away, and he was no longer sure what to expect...dare he tell her?  
  
"That grave, in your dream," said Luna softly, "the one you put that rose on...that was mine, wasn't it?"  
  
Harry felt his insides twisting...this was not at all what he'd expected to deal with upon coming here...  
  
"Is it true?" she asked again.  
  
Harry looked at his feet and opened his mouth.  
  
"Harry, look at me," said Luna.  
  
He raised his eyes to hers and knew at that instant he couldn't lie to her, even though it could mean the end to their friendship...which was becoming a distinct possibility, especially the way she was going on...  
  
He swallowed hard.  
  
"Is it true?" she repeated once more in a whisper.  
  
"Yes," he said finally, his voice sounding strange in his ears. "Yes, it's true, Luna..."  
  
She stared at him in silence for several long, agonizing moments. She sighed softly, before slowly drawing back her blankets to come and sit next to him, her large silver eyes a mere hand's width from his. He thought he saw something glimmer in their silvery depths...  
  
"Why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked softly.  
  
Harry looked at her intently for any sign. Her expression was completely blank.  
  
"I...I...didn't know..."  
  
She tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. "No..." she said softly, looking thoughtful. "No, I don't suppose you did..."  
  
He gaped at her. There was a definite twinkle now in her eyes, and her mouth was having some trouble concealing a faint hint of a smile. She leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder with an airy sigh.  
  
"Well," she whispered, "I really should have been more observant also, I suppose. Ginny tried to tell me once but I thought she was being rather fantastical, you know..."  
  
"You...you're not mad?"  
  
She let out a small giggle. "Some people rather think so, actually."  
  
"Oh, I meant upset," he corrected.  
  
"Well, upset that you didn't tell me, yes," she said, though her voice was now sprinkled with mirth.  
  
"Sorry about that," said Harry.  
  
"All is forgiven," said Luna melodiously.  
  
Harry hesitantly drew a protective arm around her shoulders; but upon completing that move, he felt her relax against him, feeling so natural that it was as though he'd been doing it for years.  
  
She turned her head and looked up at him, his face reflected in her large silver eyes -  
  
"WAIT! STOP!! DESIST!!" a powerful bellow suddenly reverberated throughout the small room as the had door burst open to reveal the odd sight of the Headmaster rushing headlong in a huff.  
  
Harry was so startled by the violent interruption that he involuntarily jumped, lost his balance and fell off the bed, landing on his backside, while Luna stared wide-eyed at the doorway.  
  
"Oh," the Headmaster said as he glanced between the two of them. "Terribly sorry. Alas, I thought that I should interrupt before certain things were...discussed - "  
  
"Merlin's beard!" Harry barked up at him. "You could've at least knocked!"  
  
He noticed that Dumbledore was still holding the strange crystal sphere Harry had given him, though the soft glow it had been emitting had somehow been extinguished.  
  
"Yes, well," said Dumbledore apologetically, though for some reason there was a definite twinkle in his clear blue eyes, "I'm afraid there is a visitor for Miss Lovegood, you see Harry, and I thought it best that she see him forthwith."  
  
With that, he moved from the doorway to reveal a tall man behind him.  
  
He looked rather bewildered, Harry thought. He had sandy brown hair, hazel eyes and several days of dirty blonde stubble on his face, and a look of benign congeniality that reminded Harry very much of Arthur Weasley. Harry had never seen the man before in his life, but he knew instantly who this stranger was.  
  
Luna's eyes had widened into saucers at the sight of him.  
  
"DADDY!!!" she squealed, leaping off her bed and running over to him, jumping up into his outstretched arms as he stumbled back against the door frame, squeezing her tightly.  
  
"Snookums!" he cried, burying his face in her long, dirty blonde hair.  
  
Ron and Hermione, who had drifted into the room behind him Dumbledore, glanced at each other.  
  
Snookums? they silently mouthed at each other, eyebrows raised.  
  
"Ow! Ow! Ow!"  
  
Luna's father almost dropped her in his haste to put her down. "Luna, what's wrong?" he asked, grave concern etched on his face. "You're hurt?!?"  
  
But Luna was laughing, her silver eyes swimming in tears of mirth, one hand clutching her side. "It's...still...sore..." she said breathlessly in between fits of laughter.  
  
Harry got to his feet. "Mister Lovegood?"  
  
"Well, d'uh!" exclaimed Ginny, having just entered the room behind Ron and Hermione, Neville following close behind.  
  
"That would be me," the man said. "Though I have to confess I'm at something of a loss to explain how I came to be here."  
  
"Well have a seat," said Ginny, jumping into one of the empty chairs. "Have we ever got a story for you..." 


	29. Luna's Year, Part XXIX

"Here it is!" exclaimed Hermione, staring intently at a large leather_bound tome splayed open across her lap, Crookshanks curled up contentedly next to her on the divan's plush armrest. "It's known as a Claustrum Sphere..listen to this...originally created by the Dark Wizard Grindelwald around the turn of the century, they were designed to hold captive members of the Hapsburg Dynasty...Professor Dumbledore was right, then..."  
  
"How's that?" said Ron lazily from the hearthrug near the fireplace, his gaze unwavering from the chessboard between him and Harry.  
  
"I thought there wasn't any doubt what it was," echoed Harry. "After Dumbledore found Luna's dad in there, I mean."  
  
Hermione looked over at them. "Not about what it was, I meant where it came from," she corrected. "He did say it was likely one of Grindelwald's artifacts, didn't he? Which means that Voldemort must have discovered the location of the old castle somehow."  
  
"Oh," said Harry, though he really wasn't interested in more theories at the moment. So much had happened over the last two days that his mind was still reeling, his thoughts still drifting back to Luna, currently laid up at St. Mungo's for at least another day, according to the Healers.  
  
Harry had wanted to stay and keep Luna company, though the Healers had insisted she get complete rest, and he'd very reluctantly agreed to return to Hogwarts with the others. He consoled himself with the knowledge that she'd gotten to spend some time with her adoring father, at the very least. Harry and Dumbledore had brought him up to speed, having had no awareness of the events of the preceding weeks.  
  
It had been an awkward business for Harry, Mr. Lovegood falling into a state of shock after being made aware of everything his daughter had been through...the intense adoration he had for her being most evident. Luna, on the other hand, had seemed less concerned about recounting her adventure and more intent on getting Hermione and her father engaged in a discussion of Wizard cryptozoology, which the young Gryffindor managed to repeatedly (though politely) sidestep by bringing up her ideas for further articles about House_Elf rights.  
  
"Checkmate," uttered Ron with satisfaction, having just moved his queen into a threatening position near Harry's king.  
  
Harry blinked. He hadn't seen that coming at all. "Hold on," he said, scanning the board for a possible out.  
  
"Nope, it's done," assured Ron, leaning back against the foot of the chair behind him and stretching his arms. "That's twice in the last half hour...your concentration's slipping tonight, mate. Well, not that I can blame you there - " he added quickly following a reproachful glance from Hermione. Hermione closed her book. "That's all it says," she said, looking disappointed. She glanced at her unfinished schoolwork on the table before her. "Well, this can wait till tomorrow, I suppose."  
  
Harry and Ron both turned to look at her, bemused expressions on their faces.  
  
"What?" asked Hermione.  
  
Ron leaned close to Harry and adopted a secretive tone. "I think someone's abducted Hermione and left a Metamorphmagus in her place," he whispered. "Doing a pretty rotten job impersonating her, isn't it?"  
  
"You okay, Hermione?" asked Harry.  
  
She stared at him in surprise. "Yes of course, I - oh look," she said, "I just don't feel up to it tonight, that's all. There's so much to think about right now..."  
  
"Well, don't forget that assignment," cautioned Ron. "We're counting on you to, er, verify our essays too."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. "Oh relax, Ron," she said tiredly, "You can copy off mine just this one time." Ron beamed.  
  
She stood and gathered her books. "You know, you'll never stand up on your own two feet scholastically unless you take your schoolwork more seriously. I won't be able to help you when it comes time for the N.E.W.T exams next year, you know, we'll all be sequestered. Honestly, I don't know why I let you two keep getting away with this - "  
  
" 'Cause we'd fail miserably without you," said Ron plainly, getting up from the floor.  
  
Hermione seemed at least partially mollified at his frank admission. "No you wouldn't," she said. "If you just tried to apply yourself a little more - "  
  
Ron stretched his arms out over his head, not bothering to stifle a yawn. "Well, I'm going to hit the sack," he announced. "We don't need to go patrolling tonight, do we?"  
  
"What? Oh, no..." answered Hermione distractedly. "No, I'm not really...we can skip tonight, Ron, sure..."  
  
Ron looked at her strangely for a moment before bidding his goodnights and marching up to the boys' dormitory. Hermione seemed likewise ready to call it a night but was standing before the hearth and staring into the fire, seemingly lost in thought. Harry rose and joined her  
  
"Hey, you all right?" he asked with concern. Something in her countenance troubled him.  
  
Hermione remained silent for several moments before sighing dispiritedly. She turned to face him. "I...I'm just so mad at myself, Harry..."  
  
He blinked. "What? Why?" As far as he knew, there was nothing Hermione had to be upset about, least of all at herself.  
  
She swallowed hard. "I came up with this supposedly great plan to get Luna's father back, and instead I almost got both of you killed!"  
  
"Hey listen," said Harry consolingly, "That was Malfoy's fault, not yours. You couldn't have known he was going to go blabbing like that."  
  
"Couldn't I?" said Hermione angrily, though Harry knew it wasn't directed at him. "He's treacherous, Harry! I should've known he'd do something like that - I swear, I am going to give him such a piece of my mind __ "  
  
"Well, that wouldn't be a bad thing, I guess," said Harry. "But I think you're forgetting something...we did get Luna's dad back, didn't we?"  
  
"Yes, but Harry," she said earnestly, her eyes welling up, "That was just by chance, really. I didn't think things through, I was careless, I should've taken all the possibilities into account, if I'd listened to Ron we would have noticed you were missing a lot sooner and you wouldn't have gone off on your own to confront Voldemort and Luna wouldn't have nearly died and you wouldn't - " the words came spilling out faster and faster until they became an overwhelming torrent of intense self_recrimination.  
  
"Whoa, Hermione, Hold it!" said Harry, witnessing the anguish spilling out of his friend with dismay. "If it wasn't for Malfoy everything would have worked out. Especially with Dumbledore and the Order being in on it, and that was your idea too. You can't blame yourself for what that git did!"  
  
Hermione shook her head, tears spilling down her face. "I should have...it's not..." she said hoarsely. "So much for Hermione Granger and her brilliant plan!"  
  
She threw her books violently against the wall, narrowly missing the blazing fireplace. She dropped down heavily into her chair, buried her face in her hands and proceeded to weep uncontrollably, shoulders shaking.  
  
Harry stood there, aghast. Comforting crying people was hardly his forte, but he couldn't stand seeing her like this. He couldn't understand why she was reacting so badly...  
  
He took a tentative step forward. "Uh...Hermione?" "It's my fault," she said in a muffled and squeaky voice, head still buried in her arms. "If...if I hadn't...tried to get you two..."  
  
Harry knelt down before her and hesitantly took her hand in his. "Hey, c'mon...this isn't the Hermione I know..."  
  
She raised her head to peer at him tearfully over her elbow. "Harry...you...you don't know..."  
  
"What don't I know?" he asked, slightly apprehensive at the sound of those words. Had something happened during his convalescence?  
  
She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Ron would have gotten you out in time if it wasn't for me," she said painfully. "I wanted to leave the two of you alone because...I thought...oh, I'll never go sticking my nose in someone else's business again!"  
  
"Eh? You've lost me...what are you talking about?"  
  
Hermione swallowed and wiped her eyes again. "Oh...I just...I thought that if I could get you and Luna to spend some time together...it might...well..."  
  
She stared down at the empty space between her feet. "I shouldn't have meddled," she whispered gravely. "I almost lost you both because I stuck my nose in someone else's..."  
  
Harry felt his heart go out to her. Meddle she may have, but it was all with the very best of intentions. He couldn't let her wallow in despair like this.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't call that 'sticking your nose in' exactly," he said. "And anyway, I'm glad you did. It made me realize something..."  
  
Hermione raised her head and met his gaze, an uncertain look on her tear_stained face.  
  
"Harry?" she whispered.  
  
He took a deep breath. "You were right," he said solemnly, "About Luna...I guess I just didn't...I mean, I was just..."  
  
"Oh Harry," said Hermione, her face brightening a little, "I know you don't like to talk about things like that - "  
  
"No, it's okay," insisted Harry. "It's so different than with Cho. It's more like...well...with Luna I actually care, about what she says, what she feels...it's more than it ever was with Cho...with her I was always wondering how to act, or not make a fool out of myself. I was always trying to impress her, you know?"  
  
"Well, that's natural, Harry," said Hermione, "Wanting to make a good impression and all...boys do feel a lot of pressure when - "  
  
"But that's the rub," said Harry, "There's none of that with Luna. I don't feel like I have to be somebody else, or say stupid things...it's..."  
  
"It just feels right," finished Hermione.  
  
"It does," said Harry, "I...I thought I'd lost her in Hogsemade. it made me realize how much I...well..."  
  
Hermione grabbed hold of his hand. "Harry...when are you going to tell her?"  
  
"Er, I already did."  
  
Hermione's eyes widened and she leaned closer. "Really? Goodness Harry, I'm impressed! How'd she react?"  
  
An idea flashed in Harry's mind. He sighed deeply. "She was really upset," he said. "She said she never wanted to see or speak to me again."  
  
Hermione drew back, a horrified look on her face, both hands covering her mouth in shock. "Holy Cricket, no! Oh, no, Harry!!"  
  
"Whoa, relax!" said Harry, laughing. "I was just kidding! She's fine!"  
  
Hermione's eyes widened even further, at which moment Harry felt a painful, jarring impact on his cheek, sending him tumbling onto his backside.  
  
"OW!" he cried, rubbing the left side of his face, "Cripes, Ron wasn't exaggerating!! Maybe you should become a beater!"  
  
Hermione was standing now, arms held stiffly at her sides and shaking with fury. "How dare you trifle with my emotions like that, Harry??" she said hoarsely.  
  
Harry scrambled to his feet. "Hey, sorry," he said quickly, "I just wanted to get you off track there, you were coming down pretty hard on yourself..."  
  
Hermione gaped at him, standing frozen and speechless for several seconds before launching forward and enveloping him in her arms.  
  
"Oh, Harry!" she cried.  
  
* * *  
  
"Are you sure, Snookums?" Luna's father asked, kcking the snow from his boots in the entrance hall. "You shouldn't be wandering the corridors alone at this time of night; I'm sure there's still got that curfew going - "  
  
Luna gazed up at him. "Oh don't worry, Daddy," she said dreamily, "I think I'll run down to the kitchen and have a cup of hot chocolate before turning in. The coco they had in St. Mungo's wasn't very good, was it?"  
  
"Not very, now that you mention it," said Mr. Lovegood, producing such an exaggeratedly pained grimace that it elicited a loud giggle from his daughter. "But then, hospital food isn't supposed to taste good. It's a tradition of sorts, you know."  
  
"Why not?" asked Luna curiously.  
  
He looked at her, a bemused smile creasing his features. "Well, I'd imagine they don't want people deliberately getting themselves injured to get some free food, so they purposely give everything a deplorable taste."  
  
"Well that hardly seems very nice," said Luna reprovingly. "People go to St. Mungo's to get better, after all. I think patients should get the best food they can find. Couldn't they just offer better food and charge a few sickles for it instead? I for one would be quite willing to give over a Knut or two for a good hot chocolate..."  
  
Mr. Lovegood's smile widened as a look of deep affection crossed his features. He reached out and wrapped an arm around Luna's shoulders and pulled her next to him in a colossal hug.  
  
"Oh, how I missed listening to all your questions, Snookums," he said sadly, kissing her on her forehead. "For a while there I thought I was going to leave you all alone in this world..."  
  
"Daddy?" asked Luna with concern, seeing her father getting a bit misty_eyed. She squeezed him hard, ignoring the soreness in her side. Seeing her father sad brought back painful memories of the dark times following her Mother's death...  
  
"And you," he said, his voice sounding a bit strained, "Don't you ever go and put yourself in that kind of danger again, not even for me. I won't lose you like I did your mother, young lady..."  
  
His voice broke and he gave Luna a monumental hug, crouching slightly and burying his face in her long, snow_speckled hair.  
  
Luna could feel her father's shaking shoulders through the pain in her side; she recalled vividly his very similar reaction when the shock of her mother's death had hit him full force six years before.  
  
"You won't ever lose me," she whispered, hugging back as tightly as she could. "But I have to help my friends, Daddy, I really do...I can't falter now..."  
  
"I know...so like your mother," he blubbered into her sand_coloured locks.  
  
They held the embrace for a long time until finally her father drew back and squeezed her hand.  
  
"Snooks, you know I trust your judgement," he said sadly, "I always have...but Luna, please promise me you won't take any unnecessary risks!"  
  
"I never do...I only take the necessary ones," she replied, smiling serenely.  
  
He choked in surprise. "Snookums, you're having fun with me! You've never been one to play it safe, remember when dove off that rock? How many bones did you beak that day, thirty_two I think, wasn't it? The healers said you nearly - "  
  
"Oh but Daddy, I was six!" she said, laughing. "And anyway, the Nightingale looked so happy soaring about, I just had to try - "  
  
Mr. Lovegood put up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, all right, I'm not going to get into this again, I know when I'm licked. Well at least promise me you won't go trying to mimic a Nightingale again, at least!"  
  
Luna smiled and put one hand over her heart and raised the other. "I solemnly swear that I will at no time in the future attempt to duplicate the soaring flight of a Nightingale."  
  
Her father looked pensive. "Or any other bird," he added.  
  
Her smile brightened. "Or any other bird," she repeated serenely.  
  
He sighed. "Well, that'll have to do, I suppose," he said. He looked down the long hallway. "I might as well go see Dumbledore now, I expect he'll be waiting - "  
  
Luna squeezed his fingers. "Please don't be sad, Daddy," she said serenely. "A lot of good came from this, you know. I got Hermione Granger to believe in Heliopaths, after all."  
  
He stared at her for a moment. "It's important to you, what she thinks, isn't it?"  
  
Luna nodded sagely. "She has the brains for Ravenclaw, Daddy, and then some. She's a really sweet person, truly she is. I think I just might get her to believe in the Snorkack one day! And perhaps the Blibbering Humdinger too!" Her eyes widened excitedly at the prospect.  
  
Her father grinned and leaned close. "Well, it was all for the good then, wasn't it?"  
  
He ran a hand roughly through her hair, mussing it up vigorously and sending Luna into a fit of giggles.  
  
"I'll see you in the morning, Snookums. Sleep tight," he said as he planted one last kiss on her forehead and left in the direction of Dumbledore's office.  
  
Luna watched him go until he turned the corner out of sight, a dawning awareness that everything was right in her world slowly creeping into her consciousness. She sighed softly and smiled at nothing in particular, running one hand back through her hair to undo the worst of the tangles her father had playfully created. Her fingers drifted down to the end of one of her pale locks, noting its length with satisfaction. Despite the constant teasing and incessant tangles, she liked her hair as it was; it reminded Luna of her mother's glorious flaxen tresses, although hers were imbued with a rather more sandy hue.  
  
Or the colour of dirt, if her dormitory roommates were to be believed. She quickly pushed the inference back into her psychological drawer of verboten thoughts and slammed it shut. How it had managed to let itself out, she couldn't fathom. She wished for a secret key that would allow her to lock it forever, to never again peer into its murky depths.  
  
She supposed that she managed well enough, though, even without such a key. Though that never stopped her from wishing...  
  
No, not dirt, she decided, as she held a long stray lock up to her eyes for closer inspection. Sandy_hued is a much nicer term for it, she concuded resolutely.  
  
She sighed again, looking about the deserted hall. The inhabitant of her favorite portrait, Wendelin the Weird, was currently absent, presumably off on one her midnight romps with that Felix Summerby fellow. Well, no matter. She'd just have to recount her adventure some other time.  
  
My adventure, she thought, how odd. She'd gotten her father back, of course, but not only had she recovered what she'd so painfully lost, she'd also gained something she'd never had -  
  
Of course, her Mum and Dad loved her dearly, that she knew. But outside of her dearly beloved parents, no one had ever expressed such affection for her.  
  
She wondered why Harry would say such a thing. He certainly wasn't a deceitful boy, that was clear. He was a truly sincere soul, despite his occasional recklessness...  
  
Her thoughts drifted back to the end of the previous term, when he'd seemed to appear out of nowhere. He'd offered to help her look for her belongings, twice no less. At the time, Luna had been a bit taken aback by his desire to help, but she'd attributed it at first to his anguised state. He'd seemed so lost that day...  
  
She'd felt sad for him, even letting him glimpse one of her most sacred, deep_rooted beliefs about her mother in an effort to reassure him. For some reason she even told him of her missing belongings, something she generally avoided discussing, but with Harry...  
  
Happily, he'd made the connection between Luna's convictions of her mother's fate and his Godfather, despite his initial bemusement; he'd heard the voices too, after all. Once she'd seen the gears turning inside his head she knew she'd had a positive effect, taking quiet satisfaction in lifting him from his doldrums, even if ever so slightly.  
  
Still, she thought, absent_mindedly running a finger along the corrugated ridge of one of the butterbeer caps hanging from her neck, so much has happened since then...  
  
She'd had felt an odd but growing affection for Harry throughout the year, there could be no denying it. Of course, she'd attributed it, sensibly enough, to their flourishing friendship, despite Ginny's not so subtle hints to the contrary. And yet, she'd felt a strong sense of release upon Harry's revelation of his feelings for her...had she been subconsciously trying to blind herself to it?  
  
Why was she trying to analyze it in the first place? She shook her head. What was there to analyze? One of the most mysterious and powerful forces in the universe...that strange room in the Department of Mysteries was reason enough not to try; if the best wizards and witches in the Wizarding World hadn't made any headway in understanding that power over all these years, she could hardly be expected to do very much better standing in the middle of a deserted corridor in the middle of the night with nothing to go on but a bunch of overflowing drawers of ether.  
  
Overflowing they might be, but still, she'd rather do her own inner housekeeping than rely on that bizarre pensieve the Headmaster used.  
  
Take life as it comes, her Mum had told her countless times. So she carefully pushed her curious thoughts into her packed drawer of unsolved mysteries for later perusal.  
  
Oops, wrong drawer, sorry. That one, in you go.  
  
She glanced around the deserted hall. What was it she'd decided to do again?  
  
Oh yes, she thought. Hot chocolate! How could I forget? She chastised herself silently; it was one of her Mum's favourite treats, after all. Many_a_time they'd bundled themselves together before the fireplace back home under a warm blanket, contentedly drinking their hot cocos and recounting stories. It was one of Luna's fondest memories; needless to say, that particular drawer was quite worn from being opened with decided regularity.  
  
She proceeded serenely off to the kitchens, offering whispered greetings to those few portraits whose inhabitants were not in slumber.  
  
She'd gotten her hot chocolate and had just bade a heartfelt goodnight to Winky when she met Dobby on her way out, the House Elf returning from his late night rounds cleaning the Gryffindor dormitories. He seemed intensely relieved to see her, his eyes bulging excitedly.  
  
"Dobby, what's wrong?" she asked.  
  
"It's Harry Potter, Miss Luna," answered the House Elf worriedly in his squeaky voice. "Dobby has just returned from cleaning, and Harry Potter still stays in the Common Room. Very distraught, he is!"  
  
Luna held her breath for a moment. Harry, distraught? But why? He couldn't be regretting his decision about telling her his feelings, could he? Sweet muffins, no...  
  
Luna crouched down to look at the House Elf face_to_face. "Dobby," she asked, "I'd really like to go see him, could you please let me in? I promise I won't tell - "  
  
Dobby's did not need any prodding as his face lit up like a coastal beacon as he scurried out of the kitchen, Luna in tow. She had to walk briskly to keep up with him, despite his much shorter legs.  
  
When he'd opened the entrance behind the Fat Lady's portrait (who'd complained vehemently, incidentally, thinking her work had been done for the night), he wished Luna luck and quietly slipped off.  
  
Luna quietly slipped into the Gryffindor Common Room, seeing Harry sprawled out on one of the large divans near the fireplace, a crumpled parchment clenched tightly in his fist. He was staring distractedly into the flames, evidently not noticing her entrance.  
  
Luna drifted closer, noting the dried tears on his cheeks and his generally miserable appearance. Something was definitely wrong, she could tell. She felt her heart rise slightly as she bit her lip.  
  
"Harry?"  
  
He jumped in his chair and spun around, clearly not expecting to see anyone there at this hour.  
  
"L_Luna?" he said, a look of total surprise on his face. "I...I thought...aren't you supposed to be at St. Mungo's?"  
  
"Oh, well," said Luna, smiling serenely, "Daddy had a meeting with Professor Dumbledore and the Order here at school, and I really wasn't very keen on staying over there, anyway. Their hot chocolate is rather bad, you know."  
  
She gingerly sat down on the table Harry had been using to perch his feet on, being mindful of her still sore ribs.  
  
Harry straightened up and looked at her worriedly. "I didn't know...how are you feeling? Are you sure it's safe for you to be out so soon?"  
  
Her smile brightened. At least he didn't seem to be upset at her, she noted, as she gratefully stuffed that disturbing theory away in her drawer of discarded thoughts and disproven hypotheses. "Oh, I'm rather well," she said. "Just suffering from a mild case of cocoa withdrawal, actually. Anyway...how are you feeling, Harry?"  
  
"Me?" he replied, "I'm...uh...I couldn't sleep..."  
  
"I gathered," said Luna softly. She titled her head unconsciously and stared at him for several moments, trying to read his eyes...  
  
He was hurting, that much she could tell. But why? Things had turned out so well!  
  
Her eyes drifted down to the parchment he still clenched in his hand. A realization dawned within her as she recalled where she'd seen that document before -  
  
"That's your Godfather's letter, isn't it?" she asked softly.  
  
Harry hesitated. He looked up from the parchment and caught her eyes, staring at him earnestly.  
  
"Yeah," he said, relaxing his shoulders slightly. "I just can't bring myself to read it...stupid I know..."  
  
"Well, I don't think it is," said Luna. She wished there was a way she could somehow siphon off some of Harry's sadness and lock it away in one of her ethereal drawers.  
  
Harry stared down at his trembling hand. "You know...I thought it might get easier by now..."  
  
"Buttered bread can only go so far," said Luna sadly. He looked up at her.  
  
"Harry," she said, "would you like me to read it to you? I really don't mind."  
  
He swallowed deeply, slowly turning his anguished gaze down to the crumpled paper. "That's...I think...I'd like that..."  
  
She gently took the parchment from his trembling hand, smoothing it out on her lap so she could make out the rather coarse handwriting more easily.  
  
She glanced over the top of the paper at Harry. All the colour had drained from his face; he looked for all the world as someone waiting to be marched off to the guillotine. She felt a sharp pain in her chest at the sight of him -  
  
"Harry, if you'd rather not - "  
  
He quickly shook his head. "No, go ahead," he croaked.  
  
She bit her lip and turned her luminous gaze to the parchment. She took a deep breath.  
  
"Dear Harry,  
  
I guess if you're reading this it means I'm not around anymore. You  
know from my letters over the past couple of years that I'm not much  
for the written word. But there's a few things I have to say, seeing  
as this is the last chance I'll have to say them.  
  
A few days ago, you asked me about your father. You didn't seem  
convinced about what I had to say, and with things going the way they  
are, I don't know if I'll ever get a second chance to remedy that. So  
here goes.  
  
I would never have befriended your father if he wasn't a good person,  
Harry, please know that. Don't judge James from that one little  
incident you saw in the pensieve. Don't forget, your mother didn't  
think much of him at first, either, and yet they turned out to be the  
most happily married couple I've ever known. I knew your mother pretty  
well, I think, and she wouldn't have married someone of bad character.  
  
Now I know what your Dad did that day wasn't very nile,"  
  
Luna peered over the parchment at Harry. "I think he meant 'nice', there." Harry smiled weakly as she returned to her reading.  
  
"But please understand, he was fifteen years old! Now I know you're  
fifteen too (when I wrote this, anyway), and I'm not insinuating  
anything, but when we're that age, we all make mistakes, we do stupid  
things sometimes, and generally don't subscribe to Merlin's Book of  
Wisdom. Trust me, James was a good man. The best.  
  
Now, I don't know when you'll be reading this (personally, I'm hoping  
you'll be an old coot sitting in a rocking chair when you do) but if  
the worst should happen, I want you to know that you can always turn  
to Dumbledore for anything. Now I know I've criticized him a bit in  
the past, but really, that's just frustration at being cooped up in  
here. He has his reasons, and in the end, I can't argue with the man's  
logic.  
  
I'll say the same about Remus, only even more so. He was like a  
brother to me, Harry, so he's like an uncle to you, really. You can  
take that to Gringotts. He's got a good head on his shoulders too,  
better than I ever had. Don't tell him I said that though, he'll never  
let me live it down.  
  
Harry, always keep your friends close to your heart. If there's one  
thing that life has taught me, is that good friends are just like  
family. And in my case, even better! Molly Weasley and I might  
disagree on some things, but I'm very grateful to her; she considers  
you as one of her own, you know that right?  
  
Seriously though, Harry, never give up hope. I know you're going  
through a lot, especially so early on in life, but your friends will  
always be there for you, never forget that. And for God's sake don't  
try to be a hero and do everything on your own; draw from their  
strengths. They care for you a lot, even I could see that, and I'm not  
exactly what you'd call a psychology major. I'd never have been able  
to get through school as easily as I did if it wasn't for your Dad and  
Remus.  
  
Well, that's that...I'll cross my fingers and hope you don't read this  
anytime soon. Of course, saying that is useless really. If you don't,  
and I get to live to a ripe_old age, I'm obviously going to have to  
re_write some of this...  
  
Take care, Harry. I'll say hi to your folks for you.  
  
Sirius"  
  
Luna lowered the parchment as her eyes fell on Harry, bent over with his head in his hands, shaking uncontrollably.  
  
In an instant Luna was with him, squeezing herself into the plush chair and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, drawing him into her and holding him close as his grief erupted in a torrent of tears and anguish.  
  
Several of Luna's most deeply buried drawers shook and threatened to fly open, letting loose the terrible memories trapped therein. They came perilously close to succeeding before she slammed them shut, closing her eyes tight and opening her mind to her friend's sorrow.  
  
She continued to hold Harry protectively for a long while, her own emotions rising precariously close to the surface, each time pushing them back down with determination. She had to be strong, for Harry's sake...her own anguish was hers to bear, and hers alone.  
  
One solitary image managed to escape its confinement, drifting up through the darkness and into her consciousness...  
  
Her father was crying uncontrollably in the kitchen, Luna clutching him desperately close, knowing she had to be strong, though her own heart had just been wrenched horribly asunder...she still had her father, she kept telling herself over and over again, pressing the conviction down atop all the burning emotions trying to rise up and dominate her consciousness...  
  
The memories were threatening to overwhelm her. Luna opened her eyes and swallowed hard, clearing her thoughts lest they succeed.  
  
They held their embrace for a long while, eventually Harry drawing back, his cheeks stained with tears. Though for all that his countenance had visibly improved.  
  
"Luna," he said hoarsely before clearing his throat, "do you remember what you told me that day by the lake? When you were picking gillyweed, about my still having family here?"  
  
She smiled at him. "I rather do," she said. "And it's true, you know."  
  
He took a deep breath and looked her in the eye, taking her hand in his. "Luna...you're as much family to me as anyone's ever been," he said earnestly. "I mean it."  
  
Luna blinked. She became aware of her mouth slightly open, and a strange sensation overtook her, though it was not an unpleasant one.  
  
"Harry," she said softly, "that's...so sweet of you to say..."  
  
They stared at each other, a deafening quiet hanging in the air...  
  
Propelled by some mysterious force Luna pitched forward and pressed her lips against his, locking them for several moments before drawing back, wide_eyed, as surprised by her own reaction as Harry obviously was.  
  
Actually surprised was not really the word, if his reaction was any gauge. He was gaping openly at her and blinking repeatedly, a shocked expression on his face. Oh fiddlesticks, she thought, I've stupefied him somehow...  
  
"Whoa," said Harry in a voice that sounded strongly awestruck, "What was that??"  
  
"Oh...well...it was supposed to be a kiss, actually," answered Luna. "I've never really - "  
  
"Kiss??" he exclaimed. "Are you kidding? That wasn't just a kiss, that was...that was a...that was..."  
  
"That's rather vague, Harry," said Luna.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You'll have to be more specific," she said, smiling.  
  
Harry searched for words, though he seemingly couldn't find any to describe what he'd felt.  
  
"That was...extraordinary," he finally whispered.  
  
Luna stared at him. "Oh...was it...good?"  
  
"Good?" he asked disbelievingly. "Are you kidding? Didn't you feel that?"  
  
She blinked. Suddenly one drawer opened up and something her Mum had told her once long ago came drifting up, filtering through her underlying thoughts...  
  
"Oh," she said sheepishly. "I think it's...something Mum told me about once..."  
  
She suddenly noticed her mug of hot chocolate she'd left on the table had been joined by a twin. When had that arrived?  
  
"Hey," said Harry, following her gaze and noticing the same thing, "did you - "  
  
"No," she said dreamily. "But I think I know who did."  
  
She reached over and grasped the two mugs, handing one to Harry as she nestled close, staring into the fire.  
  
They stayed like that, unmoving, for a long while, staring into the flickering embers. The silence that most would find unbearable only served to make them more at ease.  
  
"I won't lose you," whispered Harry suddenly, squeezing her hand protectively. "I'm done losing people I care about..."  
  
"You won't," said Luna serenely. "I'll be at your side forever, Harry Potter. Through the brightest days and the darkest nights, even when the Sun and the Moon no longer paint the sky...always..."  
  
She felt his arm tighten around her.  
  
"She was there, Harry," she whispered. "I could feel her..."  
  
She felt Harry turn his head. "At the Veil...that...was her?"  
  
"Yes," she whispered, a smile formed of distant memories drawing upon her face.  
  
"What was it she told you?" asked Harry. "What is it about her, anyway? You never got a chance - "  
  
Luna sighed contentedly, resting her head against his shoulder.  
  
"Well," she began dreamily, "Mum had what you might call a very interesting ancestry, Harry. It all stems from her Gran, especially, who was rather extraordinary..."  
  
THE END 


End file.
